A dramatic exchange took place in the Supreme Court on Friday when one of the petitioners abused the Chief Justice of India (CJI), threw papers inside the courtroom and addressed the judges as “judicial officers”. However, despite the disruptive behaviour, the court decided not to take any action against him.
The petitioner, identified as Prabal Pratap, was appearing before a bench of Justices KV Viswanathan and Alok Arade in a matter challenging an order passed by the Allahabad High Court.
During the hearing, Pratap repeatedly referred to the judges as “judicial officers” and claimed to be a “sovereign”.
“Mr Judicial Officer, I request you to order the registration of an FIR against ACP Vikas Nagar, Lucknow,” he said, according to a video of the proceedings that has since gone viral on social media.
Judge Viswanathan, surprised by the remark, asked: “You are ordering us?”
The situation escalated when Pratap threw what appeared to be case papers in the air and allegedly used abusive language while referring to the Chief Justice.
“Yee di dena…CJI ko (Give this to the CJI),” he said as court staff escorted him out of the courtroom.
Read also: ‘Ye de dena… CJI ko’: Drama in Supreme Court as petitioner uses obscene words, orders bench to take necessary action
Why didn’t the Supreme Court act?
Despite the outrage, the bench chose not to initiate contempt proceedings or any other action against the petitioner.
The court said in its order that it had consciously decided to refrain from acting against him.
“We, considering the condition of the petitioner, do not propose to take any action against him,” the bench observed.
The judges then proceeded to examine the case on its merits and found no reason to interfere with the order of the Allahabad High Court.
“Accordingly, the application for special leave is denied. All pending applications for leave to appear and argue in person and permission to file the petition(s) will also be disposed of,” the order read.
The incident sparked debate on social media, with lawyers praising the composure shown by the bench.
Supreme Court lawyer Dr Alakh Alok Srivastava described Justice KV Viswanathan’s response as an example of judicial grace.
Srivastava wrote on
At the same time, he condemned the conduct of the petitioner, saying that public frustration over delays in the judicial system could not justify contemptuous behavior within the highest court of the land.
“Public outrage over the continuation of the cases is understandable, but such contemptuous behavior by litigants in the nation’s highest court is deeply deplorable and calls for exemplary action,” he wrote.
Srivastava also said that the responsibility for judicial delay should not lie with the courts alone.
“The court cannot be blamed alone for the judicial delay. It is the responsibility of the central and state governments to appoint more judges, provide better judicial infrastructure and ensure speedy justice to the people of India,” he added.
