Chief Justice DY Chandrachud on Thursday lost his temper after a heated argument broke out between Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Vikas Singh and him during a hearing on the listing of the petition on the allotment of land for lawyers’ chambers. As the war of words intensified, the CJI asked Singh not to raise his voice and leave the court.
During the mentioning of cases, Singh told a bench of CJI and justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala that he was struggling to get the matter listed for the last six months. “The Appu Ghar land came to the Supreme Court on a petition by the SCBA and the Bar was given only one block with reluctance. The construction on the land was to begin during ex-CJI NV Ramana’s tenure. For the last six months, we are struggling to get the matter listed. Treat me like an ordinary litigant,” Singh said.
To this, the CJI said, “You can’t demand land like this. You tell us the day we are sitting idle for the whole day.”
Replying to CJI’s “sitting idle” remark, Singh said, “I am not saying that you are sitting idle for the whole day. I am only trying to get the matter listed. If it is not done, I will have to escalate and take it to your lordships’ residence. I don’t want the Bar to be taken like this.”
Angered by this statement, CJI Chandrachud told the senior lawyer not to threaten the Chief Justice and leave the courtroom. “Don’t threaten the chief justice. Is this a way to behave? Please sit down. It will not be listed like this. Please leave my court. I will not list like this. I will not be cowered down by you,” the CJI said.
The CJI continued, “Mr Vikas Singh, please don’t raise your voice. As a president, you should be mentor and leader to the Bar. I am sorry, you are reducing the level of dialogue. You have filed an Article 32 petition, claiming that the land allotted to the Supreme Court should be handed over to the Bar for construction of chambers. We will deal with the matter when it comes. Please don’t try and twist our arm to give you the relief you want.”
The Chief Justice added, “You are asking for a land allotted to the SC to be given to the Bar. I have announced my decision. It will be taken on 17th and it will not be first on board.”
Continuing to press the bench for hearing in the matter, Singh said, “If my lords want to dismiss it, please do it. But don’t do that it is not listed.”
The CJI asserted, “I have announced my verdict. It’s on March 17 and it will not be listed at serial number 1, Mr Singh.” Refusing to slow down, Singh mentioned that the Bar has always supported the court and said, “I never want to be unreasonable but I am forced to do so in this case.”
Furious by the senior lawyer’s continuous arguments, Chandrachud said, “I am the chief justice. I have been here since March 29, 2000. I have been in this profession for 22 years. I have never allowed myself to be browbeaten by a member of the Bar, litigant or anyone else. I will not do that in the final two years of my career.”
Undeterred by the tensed situation in the courtroom, Singh said, “This is not the attitude. If the Bar is cooperating with the court, it doesn’t mean it should be taken for a ride. That is something which I feel very strongly. I want to make this very clear.”
The CJI then said, “Please sort your agenda outside the courtroom,” and called the next matter.
After it all ended, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was present in the court for Shiv Sena case, apologised to the bench on behalf of the bar and said that no one should cross “Lakshman Rekha”. Another lawyer Neeraj Kishan Kaul also apologised.
“I’m sorry for what happened this morning. I apologise. There is a Lakshman Rekha that none of us should cross. I don’t think that the bar should transgress the limits of decorum,” Sibal said.
The CJI said, “There is no reason to behave like this. We sit here the whole day and take up 70-80 matters in a day. For all these matters, I sit with my staff in the evening and give them dates.”
According to Singh, the matter has been listed six times and not taken up and the matter was also mentioned three times. The Appu ghar land came to the Supreme Court on a petition by the SCBA and the bar was given only one block with reluctance and now the land on which 40 per cent was to be used for chamber construction, which was to begin during CJI Ramana’s tenure.
However, it got deferred because the Bar association wanted the entire land to be for chambers and its petition is pending and not being taken up for hearing. “We are being treated worse than ordinary litigants in listing our matter. The bar may have to sit in dharna outside the residence of the CJI if forced to do so. Our mentioning at item no 16,” said Singh, in a communication to the news agency IANS.
(with inputs from PTI)
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