MUMBAI, May 1 -- The Bombay high court on Wednesday dismissed a petition filed by Shiv Sena MLA Kiran Samant, which alleged that public personalities like stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra posted provocative material on digital platforms to gain traction and financial benefits while undermining the dignity of judicial institutions. The petition impleaded Kamra as a respondent, for publishing contemptuous material on YouTube. But the court raised questions about the "selective targeting" of Kamra, saying, "You have impleaded only one person. There are several others who say things about judiciary. You haven't impleaded them." The petition, filed on April 16, sought urgent intervention to address the "growing misuse of digital platforms by public personalities". It accused such personalities of commercialising derogatory and contemptuous content against the judiciary while operating under the garb of free speech. "Despite the existence of legal frameworks such as the Information Technology Act, 2000, and intermediary guidelines that mandate responsible content moderation, the inaction of the respondents has emboldened individuals to commercialise such irresponsible content that directly undermines democratic institutions," the petition noted. The petition contended that Kamra had consistently ridiculed and undermined the dignity of courts and judges with an intent to perpetuate lawlessness. On Wednesday, Samant's counsel claimed that Kamra's statements were contemptuous in nature and had tarnished the image of people. "They make lots of money by doing this and lead by example," the lawyer stated. Senior advocate Darius Khambata, representing Kamra, said the petition was an attempt to bypass pending proceedings in the Supreme Court, where Kamra has challenged the notification of a government fact check unit under the IT Rules, 2023. The division bench of justices Alok Aradhe and MS Karnik said that while the reliefs sought in the petition were general in nature, the MLA had the power to approach the nodal officer to block such content on social media platforms. The judges dismissed the petition and granted liberty to Samant to approach the Ministry of Information & Technology for disclosure of information on the steps taken by them to enforce rules under the IT Act....