Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Friday used references to insects and parasites, as he said unemployed youth are becoming social media and Right to Information (RTI) and “attacking everyone”.
The comments came as a bench of CJI Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi pulled up a lawyer who was seeking the appointment of senior counsel. “The entire world may be eligible to become a ‘senior lawyer’, but at least you are not,” the bench told the petitioner, represented by lawyer Sanjay Dubey, according to news agency ANI.
CJI on “Parasites in Society”
The CJI, visibly angry, pointed out that even if the Delhi High Court now grants the lawyer the appointment of senior counsel, the Supreme Court will set that aside. The CJI also referred to the language used by the petitioner’s counsel on Facebook; (Specific details about the posts were not readily available.)
Read also | Justice may be blind but she has a sense of humour, says CJI Surya Kant
That’s when CJI Kant talked about society as a whole.
“There are already parasites in society that attack the regime and want us to cooperate with them,” he said.
He added: “There are young people, like cockroaches, who do not get any work or any place in the profession. Some of them become media professionals, some of them become social media activists, RTI activists and other activists, and they start attacking everyone.”
The petitioner then apologized to the court and requested permission to withdraw the petition. This was allowed.
Read also | ‘Organised smear campaign’: Justice Swarana Sharma attacked in Kejriwal court over contempt proceedings
“Thousands wear black robes of questionable shades.”
However, the court also expressed concern about what it saw as a growing number of lawyers allegedly holding false law degrees.
The CJI noted that he was waiting for a suitable case to order a CBI probe into the law rungs of several Delhi advocates, whose social media posts he saw as problematic.
“I have serious doubts about the validity of their law degrees… The things they post on Facebook, YouTube, etc., do they think we don’t watch them?” He said.
Read also | NCERT apology, 38 books confiscated: Detailed timeline of ‘judicial corruption’ chapter that has drawn the wrath of the Supreme Court
“I will show you what discipline in the profession means,” the CJI said.
The bench said the Bar Council of India would not do anything on the issue as they “need their votes”.
