Madras High Court judge condemns social media trolling amid Karur stampede case

Concerns over judicial security and social media harassment have been highlighted recently with incidents involving judges in South Carolina and India. South Carolina Judge Diane Goodstein's home was destroyed by fire weeks after she issued an order against the Trump administration, prompting renewed fears about threats to judicial independence amid escalating political hostility, as underscored by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Sonia Sotomayor. In India, Madras High Court Justice N. Senthilkumar has faced significant social media trolling following his condemnation of actor-politician Vijay's party's response to the Karur stampede, which killed 41 people. Despite the trolling, Justice Senthilkumar emphasized the inevitability of such criticism for public figures and advocates for ignoring the abuse, noting that judges and their families are not spared from such attacks. He also ordered a Special Investigation Team to probe the Karur tragedy and is pursuing legal action against defamatory statements made on social media. These incidents collectively illustrate the growing challenges judges face globally in maintaining their safety and impartiality amid hostile public and political environments.