New Delhi
Chief Justice Bhushan Ramakrishna Gawai clarified during a hearing of a case on August 7, 2025 that he does not see YouTube nor decide a case based on interviews or press reports. He told that his routine includes only reading newspapers. The comment came at a time when a argument was presented in the court that during the raids on the houses of big leaders, a special neoralist is prepared through interviews on YouTube channels.
A bench of CJI BR Gawai, Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Vinod Chandran heard a review petition related to JSW Steel’s Samadhan Yojana for Bhushan Power and Steel Limited. This petition has been filed against the prior order of the Supreme Court, in which the Samadhan Yojana was rejected.
On behalf of the Committee Four Creditors, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the court that the Enforcement Directorate has distributed black money of Rs 23 thousand crore to those who have been victims of fraud. During this time, Chief Justice Gawai asked SG Mehta as to what is the defect rate of ED, that is, how many accused have been convicted.
Tusshar Mehta answered CJI Gavai’s question and said that this is a different subject. He referred to the large -scale recovery while defending the ED. Mehta also told that due to the media, the information about these successes of the agency does not reach the general public.
SG Tushar Mehta said that the rate of conviction in punishable offenses is very low, and he described it as the result of the flaws in the criminal justice system of the country. During the hearing, the Senior Law Officer present mentioned that in some cases, due to huge amount of cash during the raid on the leaders’ locations, their note counting of notes stopped working, due to which they had to buy new machines. He also said that when big leaders are caught, some nectations are installed through YouTube interviews.
CJI BR Gawai clarified on the subject that they do not decide the cases on the basis of nectations. He said that he does not watch news channels and only 10-15 minutes in the morning looks at the newspaper headlines. The law officer also stated that judges do not take decisions on the basis of social media and negativity built outside the courts.
The Supreme Court has been expressing her concern over the alleged arbitrariness of the Enforcement Directorate in the money laundering cases related to the various benches of the Supreme Court, especially with opposition leaders. A bench headed by CJI BR Gawai had commented on July 21 in another case that the Enforcement Directorate is crossing its boundaries.
