SC Justice slams 'Loyal' judges, criticizes UAPA abuse and meme FIRs

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Supreme Court Justice Ujjwal Bhuyan has made a very important and sharp comment on the country's judiciary, the burden of cases, and the functioning of the police. Addressing the Supreme Court Bar Association National Conference 2026 on Sunday, he expressed deep concern over the increasing trend of denial of bail. Justice Bhuyan strongly stated that some judges nowadays have become afflicted with the syndrome of being "more loyal than the king." Due to this mentality, they deny bail to accused even in genuine and legitimate cases, resulting in the common people suffering the consequences and forcing them to spend long periods behind bars.

'Dissent is not a crime in developed India'

Speaking at the conference on the topic "Role of the Judiciary in a Developed India," Justice Bhuyan said that in a developed country, there should be ample space for dissent and healthy debate. Dissenting from any viewpoint is not a crime, and tolerance for different opinions should increase in society. He also sharply criticized social evils, saying that in a developed India, it is absolutely intolerable for parents to say that their children will not eat food prepared by Dalits. He strongly stated that in a developed India, it is impossible for Dalit men to sit in corridors and people to urinate on them. It is essential to protect the dignity of every individual.

Time is being wasted due to FIRs on memes and social media posts

Expressing concern over the backlog of cases in courts, he cited frivolous appeals and baseless FIRs as the main reasons behind this. Justice Bhuyan said that in recent times, criminal cases and FIRs are being filed with extreme carelessness. FIRs are immediately filed for small matters like student protests, public movements, and even memes or posts shared on social media. This is followed by lengthy police investigations, and when the case reaches the Supreme Court, a demand is made to constitute an SIT. All these unnecessary matters waste a lot of precious time of the judiciary.

UAPA is a draconian law, arrest figures revealed

During his address, Justice Bhuyan also mentioned the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), calling it a very draconian law. Citing Home Ministry data presented in the Lok Sabha, he stated that in 2019, 1,984 people were arrested under this law, but only 34 were convicted, representing a mere 1.74 percent. Similarly, in 2020, only 80 out of 1,321 arrests were convicted. He clarified that for several consecutive years, the conviction rate under this law has been less than 4 percent. Justice Bhuyan said that these figures clearly indicate that hasty arrests are being made without any concrete evidence, causing hardship to innocent people and overwhelming the courts with a backlog of cases.