IN AN ELEVEN-PAGE ORDER, the Delhi High Court issued broad directions to takedown the media reports, videos, and social media posts that depicted the participation of the Chief Justice of India (‘CJI’), sitting judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, and Union Ministers in the 2nd International Bar & Bench Badminton Championship held in London on June 7, 2026.
A report on the proceedings before Justice Tejas Karia was covered by The Leaflet on June 19. The full report can be read here.
Background to the Petition
In the lead-up to the case, a wave of reports, videos and posts were circulated regarding the 2nd International Bar & Bench Badminton Championship arranged in London that claimed that the CJI along with the Law Minister participated in the championship. Photographs from an earlier domestic championship were shared to support the allegation.
The Badminton Association of India (‘BAI’), the national governing body for the sport, moved the Delhi High Court under Article 226 of the Constitution to seek takedown of the misleading, factually incorrect, and allegedly motivated reporting, statements, publications, posts, concerning judges of the constitutional courts in connection with the London event.
