Madras High Court Upholds S.Ve. Shekher’s Prison Sentence for Derogatory Post Against Women Journalists

On January 2, 2025, the Madras High Court confirmed the one-month simple imprisonment sentence handed to actor and politician S.Ve. Shekher by a trial court in February 2024. The sentence pertains to a case filed in 2018, in which Shekher was found guilty of sharing a Facebook post containing derogatory remarks about women journalists.

Justice P. Velmurugan dismissed Shekher’s criminal revision petition, filed in March 2024, which challenged the verdict of a special court for MP/MLA cases. While affirming the conviction, the judge granted a 90-day suspension of the sentence to allow Shekher to appeal to the Supreme Court.

During the hearing, Shekher’s counsel argued that the prosecution relied solely on a screenshot of the Facebook post and failed to authenticate it with a certificate under Section 65B of the Information Technology Act. The judge, however, pointed out that such authentication was unnecessary since Shekher himself had admitted to sharing the post and had tendered an unconditional apology, claiming he shared the message inadvertently without reading its content.

The judge rebuked the defense’s argument, asking, “Will you share anything and everything that you receive on social media?”

Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, in a prior judgment rejecting Shekher’s plea to quash the case in July 2023, emphasized the seriousness of the offense. He highlighted that, as an educated and influential public figure, Shekher’s actions were irresponsible. The Facebook post in question, shared on April 19, 2018, contained abusive and vulgar comments, portraying women journalists in a highly negative light.

Justice Venkatesh remarked, “This court is hesitant to even translate the message, as it is despicable and derogatory. A forwarded message on social media is like an arrow shot from a bow-the sender must take responsibility for its consequences.”

The case underscores the accountability individuals must bear for their actions on social media, especially when they have the power to influence public opinion.