Delhi High Court sentences YouTuber Gulshan Pahuja to 6 months in jail for calling judiciary ‘dictatorship’

The Delhi High Court has sentenced a YouTuber to six months imprisonment after finding him guilty of criminal contempt for “personally attacking" certain judicial officers and "lowering" the dignity of the judicial system.

The YouTuber, Gulshan Pahuja, has also been fined Rs.2000 each contempt matter by the Delhi HC bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja.

YouTuber found guilty of contempt

Pahuja, who runs a YouTube channel called 'Fight 4 Judicial Reforms' landed in trouble with the Delhi HC over allegations he made against judicial officers in a recent case.

The Delhi HC, which took suo motu cognizance of the matter, observed that the content on Pahuja’s channel was not protected as "free speech" under the Constitution.

The court held that while a disgruntled litigant may sometimes vent out his frustration by making "uncharitable remarks", which are to be "taken in our stride", but in this case, Pahuja did not vent out his frustration as fair criticism, and his intent was only to scandalise and lower the image of the judicial officers and the judiciary.

'Did not show regret'

A bench of justices said neither showed any regret nor suggested any "course correction", and not punishing him might embolden him.

"In fact, he maintains that what he did was with the intent of improving the judicial system. He, in fact, compounds his contempt by making further scandalous submissions before this court and thus, evidently, he is neither repentant nor deserves any mercy," the bench observed.

'No hopes of getting justice'

While hearing submissions on punishment, the Court recorded that Pahuja made further remarks against the judicial system, stating that “adaalaton ki manmarzi badhti jaa rahi hai”.

Pahuja also told the court that he had "no hopes of getting justice".

"Adalaton ki manmarzi badhti jaa rahi hai aur main koi nyay ki umeed nahi kar raha. Manmarzi ka dusra arth tanashahi hota hai" (Courts are becoming more and more rigid. I have no come here with any hope of justice. Rigidity also means dictatorship)

The Amicus Curiae, in the case, Harsh Prabhakar also informed the court that Pahuja had continued uploading videos against judicial officers despite an earlier restraint order passed by the Court in May 2025.

He argued that the mere imposition of a fine would be inadequate in the facts of the case.

Sentence suspended for 60 days

Finding Pahuja guilty of criminal contempt of court, the bench on May 16 sentenced him to six months of simple imprisonment.

"We are of the opinion that these cases call for the imposition of the maximum punishment on the contemnor. We, therefore, impose the punishment of simple imprisonment for a term of six months along with a fine of Rs.2000/- on the contemnor, that is, Mr. Gulshan Pahuja, in each of these matters. The sentence shall run concurrently for these matters," the court ordered on May 16.

However, as Pahuja intended to challenge the decision, the court suspended the sentence for 60 days to enable him to approach the Supreme Court.

The Bench directed that in the absence of any protective order from the apex court, he would have to surrender before the Registrar General after expiry of the said period.