Bengaluru, 19 Sept

Justice Srishananda of High Court is under fire for his comments referring to the Muslim-majority locality of Gori Palya as “Pakistan” during a court hearing. The remarks, made while discussing traffic issues near the Mysore Road flyover, sparked widespread outrage on social media.

In a video that has since gone viral, Justice Srishananda stated, “Go to Mysore Road flyover, every autorickshaw has 10 people. It is not applicable because the Mysore flyover heads left for the market from Gori Palya, which is in Pakistan, not India.”

Social media users were aghast as to how someone occupying a constitutional position could make such a statement, with one user writing, “A Judge of the Karnataka High Court has referred to a Muslim-majority area in Bengaluru as Pakistan. A Judge calls his country’s citizens Pakistani; is there anything more shameful?” Others pointed out that such comments could further dehumanise Indian Muslims and contribute to systemic discrimination.

Critics also called for reforms in the judicial appointment process. “Like IAS/IPS/IRS, judges must be selected through a rigorous test on the Constitution, rather than through a collegium system that allows for biased selections,” one user argued.

Justice Srishananda, who has served as an Additional Judge since May 2020 and became a permanent Judge in September 2021, has not yet publicly responded to the backlash. -Salar News