"Hydra-Headed": Top Court Judge Slams Social Media For Pressure On Judiciary

One of the biggest challenges facing judicial independence today is the misinformation spreading on social media and public opinion influenced by algorithms, Supreme Court judge Justice Joymalya Bagchi has said. Calling social media "hydra-headed," he said now misinformation spreads faster than corrections, and the outrage expressed on digital platforms and media trials are creating unprecedented pressure on judges.The way to deal with lies with "digital intermediaries" who  carry the first responsibility, he said. "Such entities which are significant reservoirs of power cannot plead that they are only a media," he added.  Speaking at the fifth Justice HR Khanna Memorial National Symposium held on August 1, Justice Bagchi said: "Dispassionate adjudication is being auctioned on the alter of 'likes'... Guilt manufactured online brands the acquitting judge as having erred for being fair," he said."A clip uploaded on one platform regrows on many. Misinformation outruns the correction.