Chief Justice DY Chandrachud on Thursday lost his cool after a heated argument between Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president Vikas Singh and him during the hearing of a plea on allotment of land for lawyers’ chambers. As the rhetoric escalated, the CJI asked Singh not to raise his voice and leave the court.
During the mention of the matters, Singh told the CJI and a bench of Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala that he had been struggling for the last six months to get the matter listed. “On a petition by the SCBA, the land of Appu Ghar came to the Supreme Court and the bar was reluctantly given only one block. Construction on the land was to begin during the tenure of former CJI NV Ramana. For the last six months, we are struggling to get the matter listed. Treat me like a common litigant,” Singh said.
On this, the Chief Justice said, “You cannot demand land like this. You tell us that we are sitting idle all day long.
Responding to the CJI’s “useless” remark, Singh said, “I am not saying that you sit idle all day. I am only trying to list the matter. If this is not done, I have to step forward and take action.” This for your lordship’s residence. I don’t want the bar to be taken that way.
Angered by this statement, CJI Chandrachud asked the senior lawyer not to threaten the Chief Justice and went out of the courtroom. “Don’t threaten the Chief Justice. Is this a way to behave? Please sit down. It will not be listed as such. Please leave my court. I will not give such a list. CJI said, I will not come under your pressure.
The CJI continued, “Mr Vikas Singh, please do not raise your voice. As a President, you should be the mentor and leader of the Bar. I am sorry, you are lowering the level of dialogue. You have filed an Article 32 petition Filed, claiming that the land allotted to the Supreme Court should be handed over to the Bar for construction of chambers. We will deal with it when the matter comes up. Please hold our hands to give the relief you want Don’t try to wiggle.”
The Chief Justice said, “You are asking the Supreme Court to give the allotted land to the Bar. I have announced my decision. It will be taken on the 17th and will not be on board before.”
Continuing to press the bench to hear the matter, Singh said, “If my lord wants to dismiss it, please do so. But don’t pretend it’s not listed.”
The CJI insisted, “I have given my verdict. It is due on March 17 and will not be listed on Serial No. 1, Mr. Singh.” Refusing to slow down, Singh noted that the Bar has always supported the court and said, “I will never be unreasonable. I want to, but I am forced to do so. So in this case.”
Incensed by the senior counsel’s repeated arguments, Chandrachud said, ‘I am the Chief Justice. I am here since 29 March 2000. I am in this profession since 22 years. I have never threatened myself with any member of the bar, litigant or anyone else. I will not do that in the last two years of my career.”
Undeterred by the tense situation in the courtroom, Singh said, “This is not the attitude. If the bar is cooperating with the court, it does not mean that it should be taken for a ride. This is something that I am very I feel strongly. I want to make this very clear.”
The CJI then said, “Please settle your agenda outside the courtroom,” and called for the next matter.
At the end of it all, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was present in the court in the Shiv Sena case, apologized to the bench on behalf of the Bar and said that no one should cross the “Lakshman Rekha”. Another lawyer Neeraj Kishan Kaul also apologised.
“I am sorry for what happened this morning. I apologise. There is a Lakshman Rekha which none of us should cross. I don’t think Bar should cross the line of decency,” Sibal said.
The CJI said, ‘There is no reason to behave like this. We sit here for whole day and settle 70-80 cases in a day. For all these cases, I sit with my staff in the evening and give them dates.”
According to Singh, the matter has been listed six times and has not been taken up and the matter has also been mentioned thrice. Appu Ghar’s land came to the Supreme Court on a petition by the SCBA and the Bar was reluctantly given only one block and now 40% of the land to be used for chamber construction, to begin during CJI Ramana’s tenure . ,
However, it was postponed as the Bar Association wanted the entire land to be for Chambers and its petition is pending and is not being taken up for hearing. “We are being treated worse than ordinary litigants in listing our case. If forced, the Bar may have to sit on a dharna outside the CJI’s residence. In a communication to news agency IANS, Singh said, item number 16 mentions us.
(With inputs from PTI)
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