UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Misquoting judicial remarks can amount to a crime, says SC
Q1. In Swapnil Tripathi v. Supreme Court of India (2018), the open court principle, as the Court understood it while permitting broadcast of hearings, is best described as which one of the following?
- A. A guarantee that judicial proceedings remain accessible to those unable to be physically present, subject to categories withheld for privacy, confidentiality or statutory bar
- B. A guarantee that every litigant may require the court to broadcast the hearing of their own case irrespective of the subject matter involved
- C. A guarantee that judicial records, including the internal deliberations of judges in chambers, are open to inspection by any member of the public
- D. A guarantee that accredited members of the press alone may record and transmit courtroom proceedings on behalf of the general public
Q2. The sub-committee constituted after the 2018 live-streaming judgment to frame model rules for live-streaming of court proceedings consisted of judges drawn from how many High Courts?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four
- D. Six
Q3. Consider the following statements regarding the framework governing live-streaming and recording of court proceedings in India:
1. The draft Model Rules were released for stakeholder comments by the e-Committee of the Supreme Court, then chaired by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud.
2. The Court Master or Reader is required to notify the parties, before proceedings begin, that they are being live-streamed.
3. Matters relating to business confidentiality were among the concerns taken into account while drawing up the rules.
4. The rules were notified by the Ministry of Law and Justice as subordinate legislation framed under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The draft Model Rules were released for stakeholder comments by the e-Committee of the Supreme Court, then chaired by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud.
- The Court Master or Reader is required to notify the parties, before proceedings begin, that they are being live-streamed.
- Matters relating to business confidentiality were among the concerns taken into account while drawing up the rules.
- The rules were notified by the Ministry of Law and Justice as subordinate legislation framed under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
- A. 1 and 4 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1, 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q4. As per the Law Commission's review of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, which one of the following accounts for the overwhelming bulk of contempt cases pending before Indian courts?
- A. Civil contempt cases arising from disobedience of court orders
- B. Criminal contempt cases arising from publications and other acts
- C. Contempt by scandalising the authority of the court
- D. Contempt by prejudicing the due course of judicial proceedings
Q5. Consider the following, with reference to what the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 classifies as criminal contempt:
1. Publication which scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers the authority of, any court
2. Publication which prejudices or interferes with the due course of any judicial proceeding
3. Any act which interferes with or obstructs the administration of justice in any other manner
4. Wilful breach of an undertaking given to a court
Which of the above is/are NOT correctly placed under criminal contempt?
- Publication which scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers the authority of, any court
- Publication which prejudices or interferes with the due course of any judicial proceeding
- Any act which interferes with or obstructs the administration of justice in any other manner
- Wilful breach of an undertaking given to a court
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 3 only
- C. 4 only
- D. 2 and 4
Q6. Consider the following statements regarding the Supreme Court's September 2026 clarification on misquoting judicial remarks:
1. The clarification came from a three-judge Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant.
2. It arose while hearing a lawyer's plea alleging that a video of his court appearance had been circulated online, causing him reputational harm.
3. The plea invoked earlier orders of the Court passed in July 2026 barring unauthorised use of raw or edited audio-video clips of hearings.
4. The Bench held that falsely attributing statements to judges can be dealt with only as civil contempt under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified?
- The clarification came from a three-judge Bench headed by the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant.
- It arose while hearing a lawyer's plea alleging that a video of his court appearance had been circulated online, causing him reputational harm.
- The plea invoked earlier orders of the Court passed in July 2026 barring unauthorised use of raw or edited audio-video clips of hearings.
- The Bench held that falsely attributing statements to judges can be dealt with only as civil contempt under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
- A. 1, 2 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q7. Consider the following statements regarding the restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court in July 2026 on the online use of court hearing footage:
1. Posting, reposting or uploading of audio-video recordings of court proceedings on social media and digital platforms without prior permission was barred.
2. For proceedings of a High Court, permission is to be granted by the Registrar General of that High Court.
3. The bar covers raw as well as edited audio-video clips of hearings.
4. The restriction was brought into force through a notification issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- Posting, reposting or uploading of audio-video recordings of court proceedings on social media and digital platforms without prior permission was barred.
- For proceedings of a High Court, permission is to be granted by the Registrar General of that High Court.
- The bar covers raw as well as edited audio-video clips of hearings.
- The restriction was brought into force through a notification issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
- A. 1 and 3
- B. 4 only
- C. 2 and 4
- D. 3 only
Q8. Consider the following statements comparing categories of wrongdoing relating to court proceedings:
1. The Supreme Court treated unauthorised commercial or other use of raw live-stream footage as contempt, while treating the fabrication of statements and their attribution to judges or lawyers as a graver, criminal wrong.
2. The Court placed both categories on an identical footing, holding that each attracts the same consequence and nothing beyond the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
3. Under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, wilful disobedience of a court's order is civil contempt, whereas a publication that scandalises the court falls under criminal contempt.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Supreme Court treated unauthorised commercial or other use of raw live-stream footage as contempt, while treating the fabrication of statements and their attribution to judges or lawyers as a graver, criminal wrong.
- The Court placed both categories on an identical footing, holding that each attracts the same consequence and nothing beyond the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
- Under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, wilful disobedience of a court's order is civil contempt, whereas a publication that scandalises the court falls under criminal contempt.
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 only
- C. 1 and 2 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q9. Consider the following statements regarding the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant's public response to the reporting of his oral courtroom observations in May 2026:
1. He clarified that the observation was directed at persons entering the legal profession through fake and bogus degrees.
2. He stated that the remark had been misquoted by a section of the media and was not aimed at the youth generally.
3. The observation had been made while the Bench was dealing with a lawyer's plea relating to designation as a senior advocate.
4. The clarification took the form of a judicial order directing the media organisations concerned to publish an apology.
Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?
- He clarified that the observation was directed at persons entering the legal profession through fake and bogus degrees.
- He stated that the remark had been misquoted by a section of the media and was not aimed at the youth generally.
- The observation had been made while the Bench was dealing with a lawyer's plea relating to designation as a senior advocate.
- The clarification took the form of a judicial order directing the media organisations concerned to publish an apology.
- A. 1 and 2
- B. 3 only
- C. 2 and 4
- D. 4 only