No, CJI Chandrachud Didn't Encourage People to Protest Against the Government

The viral post implies to protest against the "dictatorial government in the country."

(Source: Altered by The Quint)

A fabricated statement attributed to the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, encouraging the public to protest against the "dictatorial government," in order to save the constitution and democracy in the country is going viral on the internet.

The viral claim was shared several social media users including Manipuri activist, Dr Lamtinthang Haokip.

An archive of the claim can be found here. 

(Source: Twitter/Screenshot) 

What does the claim say:

The claim includes a quote attributed to CJI Chandrachud that says: "We are trying our best to save the Constitution of India, the democracy of India. But your cooperation is also very important for this, all the people should unite and come out on the streets and ask the government for their rights, this dictatorial government will scare people, and threaten, but you don't have to be afraid, keep courage and ask the government to account, I am with you."

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

We also received the same claim written in Hindi on our WhatsApp tipline.

What is the truth?: The viral post is false. No such statements have been made by the Chief Justice or issued by his office.

• The public relations office of the Supreme Court of India clarified that the viral post was fake and termed it "false, ill-intended and mischievous".

How did we find out?: We ran a Google search to check whether the CJI had made any statements along the lines of the viral claim.

• We found no news reports to prove that the CJI making these remarks.

• On 14 August, the Public Relations Office (PRO) of the Supreme Court issued a statement where it clarified that the viral claim is "fake, ill-intended and mischievous."

• The Quint has also reached out to the office of CJI for a comment and the story will be updated as and when the response comes.

Conclusion: The viral post claiming that the CJI has encouraged the public to dissent against the government is fake.

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