In response to an attorney’s comment regarding the proper representation of female judges, the impatient Supreme Court on Monday cautioned him against “messing with the court.”
In the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA), a group of appeals seeking a 33% reservation of seats for female solicitors were being heard by a bench consisting of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan. An advocate remarked during the hearing that high court attorneys were enquiring about the number of female Supreme Court judges.
In response to the statement, Justice Surya Kant stated that it was not consistent with the bar’s own practices. The episode, he added, was pitiful. As per PTI report, he said, “If you are to play to the gallery by saying all these things, then please do. Say it 10 times. You are adding fuel to the fire. Let the media hear it. Don’t mess with the court. Enough is enough. Pathetic. This is not the way the bar conducts itself.”
No more explanations from the bar body were accepted by the irate bench. It quoted, “We won’t hear anything. Now, we will go into the larger issue of the matter and decide the issue finally.”
Final arguments before the Supreme Court are scheduled for November 29. It promised to make a decision in three days. A lawyer was reprimanded earlier this year by Chief Justice of India (now retired) DY Chandrachud for using the word “yeah” several times during Supreme Court arguments.
He was allergic to the word ‘yes’, the judge said in a scathing censure. The lawyer was also informed by Justice Chandrachud that he was in a court of law, not a coffee shop. He suggested that the lawyer say “yes” rather than “yeah.”