“As it is, we are alleged of encroaching upon the parliamentary and executive functions,” Supreme Court’s Justice B R Gavai said on Monday in an apparent reference to recent attacks on the judiciary while hearing a matter over the West Bengal violence. The SC was hearing one matter over the recent violence in West Bengal during anti-Waqf law protests, while the other plea sought a direction to the Centre to take appropriate steps to prohibit streaming of sexually explicit and pornographic content on OTT and social media platforms.

While hearing the plea over online content, Justice Gavai told advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who was appearing in the matter: “Who can control it? It is for the Union to frame a regulation in that regard. As it is, we are now criticised that we are interfering with the executive’s function, the legislative functions.” The top court’s remarks came after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey recently made disparaging remarks against the judiciary.