The Supreme Court today(September 3) suspended the sentence of six months' simple imprisonment imposed by the Delhi High Court on YouTuber Gulshan Pahuja for making videos scandalising the judiciary.

A bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Sheel Nagu passed the order while issuing notice on Pahuja's appeal after hearing Advocate Manish. The bench has ordered that the petitioner be released from custody immediately.

The High Court had initiated suo motu contempt against the YouTuber. A division bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja in May observed that Pahuja had shown “no regret” or “course correction” despite being found guilty of criminal contempt.

The High Court noted that during the hearing on sentence, Pahuja again made “scandalous remarks” against the judicial system, including statements that he expected no justice from Indian courts and likening judicial arbitrariness to “dictatorship”.

Pahuja had said that he expects no justice from the Indian judicial system and stated 'adaalaton ki manmarzi badhti jaa rahi hai aur main koi nyay ki umeed nahi kar raha' and also stated 'manmarzi ka dusra arth taanashahi hota hai'.

“The contemnor shows no regret for the same. He also does not suggest any course correction,” the High Court observed, adding that he had in fact “compounds his contempt by making further scandalous submissions before this Court”. The bench further said that failure to impose adequate punishment may “encourage him to repeat these acts in future and to embolden him in doing the same.”

Accordingly, the High Court imposed the “maximum punishment” of six months' simple imprisonment along with a fine of Rs. 2,000 in each contempt case, with sentences directed to run concurrently.

However, since Pahuja expressed his intention to challenge the judgment before the Supreme Court, the High Court suspended the sentence for 60 days under Section 19(3) of the Contempt of Courts Act.

Case Details: GULSHAN PAHUJA Vs HIGH COURT OF DELHI|Diary No. 37740 / 2026

AoR Jugul Kishor Gupta