SC adjourns hearing of Congress leader's plea against restriction on use of social media as a condition for grant of bail

New Delhi [India], March 22 : The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing of a plea filed by Congress leader Sachin Choudhary challenging condition imposed on him by the Allahabad High Court while granting bail that he will not use social media.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde adjourned the matter and said it will be heard next week.
The apex court had earlier agreed to examine whether the prohibition on the use of social media can be prescribed as a pre-condition for granting bail.
It had earlier issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government while refusing to interfere with an order passed by the Allahabad high court on May 20 last year which granted bail to Choudhary on the condition that he will not use social media while the trial was pending against him in a case.
Last year on April 11, the Uttar Pradesh police had filed an FIR against Choudhary for various offences under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including sedition (section 124A) and promoting enmity between religious groups (section 153-A), and Disaster Management Act.
The case was registered after a press conference allegedly held by Choudhary in April questioning Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Approaching the apex court, Choudhary contested imposition of restrictions on the use of social media as a condition for bail saying that it is violative of freedom of speech under Article 19 of the Constitution.