What do we do with social media? Delhi HC orders removal of more videos blaming HC judge for Saket building collapse

The Delhi High Court on Friday ordered the removal of additional videos uploaded by one Dr Kapil Kakkar in which he again blamed a sitting High Court judge for the death of six people in a building collapse in Saket on May 30.

A Division Bench of Justices Neena Bansal Krishna and Madhu Jain passed the order after the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) brought the videos to the Court's notice.

The Bench was told that after the High Court heard the matter on June 8 and ordered the blocking of Kakkar's social media account and the removal of videos against the judge, he uploaded further content with similar allegations.

Senior Advocate N Hariharan appeared for the DHCBA and said that in the new videos, Kakkar also stated that his account has been ordered to be blocked and that people should now follow his personal account. Hariharan added that Kakkar asked people to donate money to him.

After examining the videos, the Court questioned whether its orders even act as a deterrent against such persons.

“What do we do with social media? In every single case, the courts have come down heavily, but is it acting as a deterrent? This is becoming increasingly common. What do you do with individuals who have chosen to go absolutely haywire? There are so many cases where people have been sent to jail, don’t say we have been kind,” the Court remarked.

On June 8, the Court passed an order directing the removal of videos and social media posts by Kakkar in which he called the High Court judge a "murderer" and blamed him for the death of six people in a building collapse in Saket on May 30.

It had also ordered the blocking of his X, Meta and YouTube accounts.

The order was passed after the DHCBA filed a criminal contempt of court petition against Kakkar for allegedly making scandalous and contemptuous remarks against a sitting High Court judge and the judiciary.

According to the DHCBA, Kakkar falsely claimed that the judge had dismissed a petition seeking to halt illegal construction at the building due to a corrupt nexus with municipal authorities. The Bar Association contends that the court order cited by Kakkar merely permitted withdrawal of the petition with liberty to file a fresh one because the property owner had not been impleaded.

The petition reproduces several statements from Kakkar’s videos in which he allegedly described the judge as a “murderer”, accused the judiciary of corruption, and called upon citizens to “rise against such injustice."

The Bar Association argued that these remarks were intended to undermine public confidence in the judiciary and interfere with the administration of justice.

The plea further alleged that Kakkar continued his criticism through additional videos posted on June 4 and June 5, linking the judge to an unrelated civil dispute involving ICICI Bank and suggesting a corrupt relationship between judges and corporate entities.