“I am warning you. You will not speak to the gallery. I am in charge of the court. Call the security… have him removed.”CJI
NEW DELHI: Today (23rd July): Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud reprimanded senior advocate Mathews Nedumpara for interrupting during a Supreme Court hearing on NEET-UG related petitions on Tuesday. The incident occurred when Nedumpara cut off senior advocate Narender Hooda, who was representing one of the petitioners.
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Nedumpara intervened, saying,
“I have something to say,” disrupting Hooda’s argument. Chief Justice Chandrachud instructed him to wait until Hooda finished speaking.
Nedumpara then asserted his seniority, stating,
“I am the senior most here,” which provoked a stern response from the Chief Justice.
He warned Nedumpara,
“I am warning you. You will not speak to the gallery. I am in charge of the court. Call the security… have him removed.”
CJI:
You do not have to say that. You can leave. I have been in the judiciary for the last 24 years, and I cannot let lawyers dictate procedure in this court.
Adv Nedumpara:
I have seen it since 1979.
CJI:
I may have to issue something which is not fair.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the National Testing Agency (NTA) in the hearing, also criticized Nedumpara’s behavior, said this is contemptuous.
Nedumpara responded that he did not need to be told and left voluntarily.
This is not the first time Nedumpara has clashed with Chief Justice Chandrachud in the Supreme Court. During the electoral bonds case hearing in March this year, Nedumpara interrupted the proceedings despite the Chief Justice’s warnings.
“Don’t shout at me,” Chief Justice Chandrachud admonished Nedumpara. “This is not a Hyde Park corner meeting; you are in court. If you want to move an application, file it. You have my decision as Chief Justice; we are not hearing you. If you want to file an application, do so via email. That’s the rule in this court.”
