"Conviction and Acquittal Belong to Courts, Not YouTube,” Supreme Court While Hearing Crime Reporter's Case

The Supreme Court, while hearing journalist Nandakumar T.P.’s anticipatory bail plea, observed that YouTube cannot replace courts and strongly condemned attempts to conduct public trials online.

Justice B.V. Nagarathna remarked, “Courts convict or acquit, not YouTube,” while addressing a video containing alleged derogatory remarks against a woman politician.

The Court warned against using social media to attract attention with negative content and stressed that corruption allegations must be pursued legally.

Although the Kerala High Court had asked Nandakumar to surrender, the Supreme Court extended interim protection and gave the State three weeks to respond.