NEW DELHI — The High Court issued notices to several prominent opposition leaders this week, confirming that while the central investigating agency’s 2022 corruption case against them was deemed "entirely discredited" by a trial court in February, the defendants' recent online behavior remains a grave threat to institutional stability.

The urgent legal pivot to social media etiquette follows months of procedural maneuvering. After the trial court discharged 23 individuals due to a lack of evidence, the High Court swiftly intervened in March to stay the adverse remarks against the investigating agency, protecting the department's reputation before turning its full attention to the politicians' internet posting habits.

"The integrity of the institution must be upheld against anarchy," said an official familiar with the May 14 decision to initiate suo motu contempt proceedings over a "coordinated social media campaign." The official noted that prosecuting tweets is a far more efficient use of court time than attempting to revive an investigation that the lower courts had already found baseless.

Having successfully launched the criminal contempt proceedings to punish the alleged vilification, the presiding judge immediately recused from hearing the actual corruption case, ensuring the legal system can now focus entirely on the posts.