SC takes suo motu cognisance of Karnataka HC judge’s controversial comments
In one clip, the judge refers to a particular area in Bengaluru as “Pakistan,” while in another, he makes inappropriate comments directed at a woman advocate
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday initiated proceedings on its own motion against controversial remarks made by a Karnataka high court judge during recent judicial proceedings, as it highlighted the imperative need for restraint and decorum from members of the judiciary in a digital age where court proceedings are often live-streamed and scrutinised.
Registering a suo motu case, a bench comprising the first five judges of the Supreme Court convened in the morning on Friday to address the matter and ordered a report from the Karnataka high court registry.
The bench is headed by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud and comprises justices Sanjiv Khanna, Bhushan R Gavai, Surya Kant and Hrishikesh Roy.
“The reason we have assembled is because of the gratuitous comments made by a judge of the Karnataka high court, the videos of which are now getting circulated,” the bench told attorney general R Venkataramani and solicitor general Tushar Mehta.
The videos in question, which recently surfaced on social media, show Karnataka high court judge, justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda, making objectionable remarks during hearings. In one clip, the judge is heard referring to a particular area in Bengaluru as “Pakistan,” while in another, he makes inappropriate comments directed at a woman advocate.
Expressing serious concerns over the impact of such remarks, particularly in the context of social media, the bench added: “In this age of social media, we are closely watched, and we have to act accordingly.”
The bench told the A-G and S-G that the Supreme Court may consider establishing basic guidelines to prevent similar incidents in the future. It said that a report would be sought from the Karnataka high court’s registrar general, who is to receive administrative directions from the chief justice of the Karnataka high court before submitting the report to the Supreme Court.
The court requested Venkataramani and Mehta to assist it in laying down norms in such matters and fixed the case for hearing next on September 25.
The court order recorded: “The attention of the Court has been drawn to media reports pertaining to certain comments which have been made by a judge of the high court of Karnataka, justice V Srishananda, during the conduct of judicial proceedings. We have requested the Attorney General for India and the Solicitor General to assist this court.”
It added: “At this stage, we request the registrar general of the high court of Karnataka to submit a report to this Court after seeking administrative directions of the chief justice of the high court of Karnataka, in regard to the subject matter which has been referred to above. This exercise may be carried out in the next two days and a report be submitted to the secretary general of this Court, in the meantime.”
The video clips of justice Srishananda’s remarks sparked widespread criticism on social media, drawing the ire of legal professionals and the public alike. Prominent lawyers, including Indira Jaising and Sanjoy Ghose, condemned the judge’s comments, emphasising the importance of judicial conduct and the potential repercussions of such statements, especially when shared widely through live streams.
Jaising had a day ago posted the video clip on X, posting that Justice Srishananda should be trained on gender sensitisation. “We call upon the Chief Justice of India to take suo motu action against this judge and send him for gender sensitisation training,” the senior counsel wrote in a post.