A five-judge bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud sought a report, and directed the Registrar General to seek administrative guidance from the chief justice of the high court.
Published Sep 20, 2024 | 2:43 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 20, 2024 | 3:30 PM
High Court judge Justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda made the reported comments, including a misogynist one, while dealing with a landlord-tenant dispute.
The Supreme Court, on Friday, September 20, directed the Registrar General of the Karnataka High Court to submit a report on a judge’s alleged controversial remarks.
High Court judge Justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda made the reported comments, including a misogynist one, while dealing with a landlord-tenant dispute.
Two videos of the judge making objectionable comments surfaced on social media, inviting criticism even from the legal fraternity.
Taking suo motu cognisance, a five-judge Supreme Court bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud sought the report from the high court within two days on Friday morning.
In one of the video clips, Justice Srishananda purportedly referred to a Muslim-dominated locality in Bengaluru as “Pakistan” while the other video showed him making the alleged inappropriate comment involving a woman advocate during the court proceeding.
Chief Justice Chandrachud emphasised the importance of maintaining decorum in the judicial system, particularly in the era of social media, saying, “In this age of social media, we are closely watched, and we have to act accordingly.”
Besides asking for the report, the apex court directed the Registrar General to seek administrative guidance from the chief justice of the high court. The Supreme Court would take up the matter again on Monday, 23 September.
Additionally, Attorney General R Venkataramani has been asked to draft a set of basic guidelines regarding the conduct of judges.
Prominent legal figures and social media users criticised Justice Srishananda, highlighting the need for accountability within the judiciary.
Indira Jaising, human rights activist and senior advocate at the Supreme Court called upon the Chief Justice to send Justice Srishananda for gender sensitisation training.
Worse , the same Judge tells a woman laeyer she will know the colour of the “underpants “ of her opponent ‘s client , the CJI must take suo moto action against him and at the very least ,send him for gender sensitisation training https://t.co/ng68vRuji5
— Indira Jaising (@IJaising) September 19, 2024
Sanjoy Ghose, another senior advocate, also took to X, saying that it was astonishing that a judge of an Indian constitutional court referred to fellow citizens of a different faith as Pakistani!
A judge of an Indian Constitutional Court referring to fellow citizens of a different faith as Pakistani! Astonishing!
— sanjoy ghose (@advsanjoy) September 18, 2024
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
