Authors
Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.
(This article was originally done in Hindi by Shubham Singh)
The Supreme Court on Friday harshly criticised suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, calling her “single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country”. Adding that Sharma has a “loose tongue”, the court rejected her request to combine FIRs against her in various states with the one in Delhi over her remarks on the Prophet. Since then a post is going viral on social media along with the claim that Justice J.B. Pardiwala, one of the justices in the two judge bench which made the harsh observation, was a Congress MLA in 1989-90.
The post has been shared on Twitter by user @SDesh01 along with the caption ‘”Nupur Sharma responsible for Kanhaiyalal’s murder” – Supreme Court Judge J.J. B Pardiwala (Congress MLA 1989-90). When Miya Lord has been a Congress MLA ..then what else can u expect, understand something? ..Can there be an ED probe of the judge?’
Newschecker found similar claims on Twitter and Facebook with similar captions.
Facebook posts can be seen here and here.
Nupur Sharma made a contentious remark about the Prophet Mohammad in a TV programme last month, following which snippets of the debate carrying her comments went viral on social media. The issue soon snowballed into a major diplomatic crisis for India, with Indian envoys to several middle eastern nations being summoned by their respective nations to voice their disapproval, following which Nupur Sharma was suspended. There was also a huge backlash to Nupur’s remarks in India, with FIRs lodged against her across the nation, while violent protests were reported in several parts of the country. In an application to the Supreme Court, Nupur Sharma requested that all FIRs filed in different states be transferred to Delhi.
A bench of Justices Suryakant and JB Pardiwala, hearing Nupur’s plea, said Sharma’s statement created an atmosphere of unrest across the country. Nupur was directed to the high court after the supreme court declined to hear her appeal. Later, Nupur withdrew her Supreme Court application.
Fact Check /Verification
We started our investigation by checking JB Pardiwala ‘s profile on the SC website, according to which JB Padriwala was born on 12 August 1965 in Mumbai. He graduated from the KM Law College in Valsad, Gujarat, with a law degree in 1988, and began practising law there in 1989. He began practising in the Gujarat High Court a year later. From 2002 onward, he was appointed as a Standing Counsel for the Gujarat High Court and its lower courts. In 2011, Pardiwala was appointed as an additional judge to the Gujarat High Court bench. In 2013, he was appointed as a permanent judge of the High Court.
According to the website’s content, Padriwala’s grandparents and father both pursued careers in advocacy. Burjor Kavasji Padriwala, the speaker of Gujarat’s 7th Legislative Assembly, joined the Valsad Bar Council in 1955. JB Padriwala was not mentioned as an MLA anywhere on the Supreme Court website. However, it is stated that his father served as Gujarat’s seventh assembly’s speaker.
After that, we looked through the Gujarat Legislative Assembly website. Which states that from 19 January 1990 to 16 March 1990, Burjar Kavasji Pardiwala served as Speaker of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly.
A report that was released by The Print on May 9, 2022, was obtained during the investigation. Justice JB Padriwala is the fourth member of the Parsi community to serve as a judge on the Supreme Court, according to the newspaper. He is running for the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, which would have a term of roughly two years and three months beginning in May 2028. Several highlights of his life are mentioned in the report by “The Print.” But there was no mention of him being an MLA.
Conclusion
Newschecker’s investigation reveals that Judge JB Pardiwala of the Supreme Court was never a MLA. On a Congress ticket, his father Burjar Kavasji Pardiwala was elected MLA from Gujarat’s Valsad seat in 1985.
Result: False
Our Sources
Supreme Court Website Profile of Chief Justice & Judges
Gujarat Assembly Website
Report Published at ‘ The Print ‘ on May 9, 2022
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Authors
Vaibhav is a part of Newschecker’s English team, where he spots and debunks all kinds of misinformation, making the rounds on the internet. A Journalism graduate from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, he holds an M.A degree in Philosophy and an M.Phil from Delhi University.
