'Don't mess with the court': Supreme Court tells Delhi lawyer

During the hearing, an advocate said lawyers at the high court were asking how many women judges there were in the Supreme Court.

Reacting to a lawyer's remark on adequate representation of women judges, the miffed Supreme Court on Monday warned him to not “mess with the court”.

The Supreme Court of India. (HT File Photo)

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan was hearing a batch of pleas seeking 33 per cent reservation of seats for women lawyers in the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA).

During the hearing, an advocate said lawyers at the high court were asking how many women judges there were in the Supreme Court.

Reacting to the remark, Justice Surya Kant said it was not the way the bar conducts itself. He also called the episode pathetic.

"If you are to play to the gallery by saying all these things, then please do. Say it 10 times. You are adding fuel to the fire. Let the media hear it. Don't mess with the court. Enough is enough. Pathetic. This is not the way the bar conducts itself," he said, reported PTI.

The miffed bench refused to hear any further explanation from the bar body.

"We won't hear anything. Now, we will go into the larger issue of the matter and decide the issue finally," it added.

The Supreme Court has fixed November 29 for final arguments. It said it would pronounce its verdict three days later.

Earlier this year, Chief Justice of India (now retired) DY Chandrachud admonished a lawyer for repeatedly using the term ‘yeah’ during arguments in the Supreme Court. In a strongly worded rebuke, the judge told the lawyer that he was allergic to the term 'yeah'.

Justice Chandrachud also told the lawyer that he was in a court of law, not a coffee shop. He said the lawyer should say 'yes', instead of 'yeah'.

"Don't say 'yeah yeah yeah.' Say 'Yes.' This is not a coffee shop. This is a court. I am a little allergic to people saying 'yeah.' This cannot be allowed," said the former judge.

With inputs from PTI