Justice JB Pardiwala, who was a part of the Supreme Court bench that came down heavily on suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma over her remarks on Prophet Muhammad, slammed “personal attacks” on judges.

In a video address on Sunday, Pardiwala said, “Personal attacks on judges for their judgements lead to a dangerous scenario where judges have to think about what the media thinks instead of what the law really thinks.”

He further said that social media is often misused to “politicise purely legal and constitutional issues”. 

“In India which cannot be defined as a completely mature or defined democracy, social media is employed frequently to politicise purely legal and constitutional issues,” he said, according to ANI.

“Rule of law is the most distinguishing feature of Indian democracy, public opinion has to be subordinate to rule of law. We’re the guardian of rights and have to tell people things they don’t like… Judicial verdicts cannot be reflections of the influence of public opinion,” Pardiwala added.

On Friday, a bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant and Pardiwala heavily criticized Sharma for setting the “entire country on fire” due to her “loose tongue” and added that she is “singlehandedly responsible for what is happening in the country”.

The apex court also rejected Sharma’s plea to club various FIRs against her and said that her remarks reeked of publicity and political agenda.

Also Read: WhatsApp group linked to Amravati chemist Umesh Kolhe’s killing: Police

“She actually has a loose tongue and has made all kinds of irresponsible statements on TV and set the entire country on fire. Yet, she claims to be a lawyer of 10 years standing… She should have immediately apologised for her comments to the whole country,” the court said.

Also Read: Amravati chemist Umesh Kolhe’s brother speaks out about gruesome killing

Nupur Sharma’s comments during a television debate conducted in June sparked nationwide protests and drew aggressive reactions from other countries. As a result, the 37-year-old was suspended from the Bharatiya Janata Party.