Reporter’s Diary: Public wait for answers to queries raised by ‘people’s judge’

In fact, a bench hearing public interest litigations had recently held that social media companies cannot escape liability for the damage caused to society through fake news or rumours spread through their platforms. However, there exists a Facebook page called Justice N Kirubakaran’s followers created in 2013. It so far has 5,286 attracted followers, and 4,910 FB users have ‘liked’ the page. Justice Kirubakaran, who has taken up a host of issues concerning the populace – most recently the matter of restricting people from purchasing more than one housing unit to solve the housing crisis – has often been hailed as peoples’ judge. The judge is known for posing a volley of questions to both the State and central governments on a variety of cases that are of public interest. For instance, he had taken suo motu cognisance of the alleged cartel of doctors, pharma firms and diagnostic labs fleecing patients. Recently, he had taken up the issue of constituting a special committee to look into the spread of fake news and impersonator press personnel. While the list of the issues Justice Kirubakaran has taken up are as endless as the number of questions raised by him, it is certainly hoped that the queries he raises are taken to a logical conclusion.