Chief Justice of India Surya Kant broke his silence after a petitioner allegedly hurled documents and used abusive language in court, urging everyone to uphold the dignity, honour and sanctity of constitutional institutions as a shared national responsibility.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant has broken his silence on an incident in court where a petitioner allegedly hurled documents and used derogatory language.
Speaking informally at an event organised by the All India Senior Advocates Association, the CJI sought to downplay the episode while reiterating that the dignity of constitutional institutions must be protected.
Emphasising that safeguarding the honour of the country’s constitutional bodies is a collective duty and that everyone should ensure it is upheld, CJI Surya Kant said,
“Arey rahne do… Bacchey aise kayi bar kar dete hein lekin mei yeh kehna chahta hu ki hamein constitutional institutions ki maryada maan sammaan banaye rakhna chahiye ye hum sabka daitwa hein sabko isko nibhana hein,”
The disruption occurred before a Bench comprising Justice K.V. Viswanathan and Justice Alok Aradhe, during the hearing of a petition filed by Prabal Pratap.
The petition challenged an Allahabad High Court order, which had declined to interfere with a trial court’s decision treating his application under Section 173(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita as a private complaint instead of a case leading to an FIR.
At the start of the hearing, the petitioner identified himself to the Bench. Rather than presenting legal arguments, he declared,
“Mr. Judicial Servant, I order you to order the registration of FIR against ACP Vikas Nagar, Lucknow, and Duplex Technology… because I am the sovereign.”
The Bench immediately questioned him, asking,
“You are ordering?” and “You are ordering us?”
He continued his submissions, but then abruptly threw a bundle of papers toward the Bench, scattering documents across the courtroom. Security personnel intervened and restrained him as he shouted an abusive remark directed at the Chief Justice of India.
Despite the disturbance, the Bench chose not to initiate any coercive or contempt proceedings.
While delivering the order, Justice K.V. Viswanathan observed,
“We do not propose to take any action against him. As far as the merits of the case are concerned, we have perused the records. We find no good grounds to interfere with the impugned order. The Special Leave Petition is dismissed.”
The incident has since sparked widespread reactions across the legal community.
The Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA), through its Executive Committee statement, welcomed the restraint shown by the Bench but warned that judicial patience should never be confused with weakness. It cautioned that using court proceedings to seek publicity or to pressure judges amounts to a serious misuse of process.
The SCAORA also urged authorities to take steps to protect the institution’s dignity and appealed to the public not to circulate videos of the incident, stating that such sharing only sensationalises judicial proceedings.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Bar Association described the conduct as unacceptable and called for government guidelines on the recording and sharing of courtroom videos.
The Supreme Court Arguing Counsel Association (SCACA) also wrote to the CJI, seeking stringent action against those it alleged were behind a conspiracy to undermine the judiciary through selective circulation of clips and defamatory commentary online.