Ko Bulao Security: Chief Justice DY Chandrachud reprimands lawyer

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud today severely reprimanded a lawyer for trying to disrupt the Supreme Court hearing into alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), an examination for admission to medical schools.

Advocate Mathews Nedumpara, representing one of the plaintiffs, interrupted the proceedings while Narender Hooda, another plaintiff representative, spoke.

While responding to a question from the court, Nedumpara said that he is the most senior lawyer among all the lawyers in the court and said, “I can answer. I am the amicus.” To this, the Chief Justice replied, “I have not appointed an amicus.”

In response, the senior lawyer added: “If you don’t respect me, I will leave.”

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According to a publication, this apparently angered the Chief Justice, as the lawyer received a sharp response from the Chief Justice. He said: “Mr Nedumpara, I am warning you. You will not speak to the gallery. I am responsible for the court. Security ko bulao (call security) … have him removed.”

To this the lawyer replied: “I am leaving. I am leaving.” The argument escalated when the Chief Justice repeated: “You don’t have to say that, you can leave. I have seen the judiciary for the last 24 years. I cannot allow lawyers to dictate the proceedings in this court.”

Instead of cooling down, Nedumpara replied, “I’ve been seeing it since 1979.”

The Chief Justice then warned him that he would have to issue an order. “I may have to issue something that is not fair. You will not interrupt any other lawyer,” he said.

The lawyer eventually left, but later returned. He said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t do anything wrong. I was treated unfairly,” the lawyer said. He went on to say that he “forgives” the chief justice for “insulting” him and used the Biblical phrase, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

This is not the first time that Chief Justice DY Chandrachud Mathews has reprimanded Nedumpara for his conduct in court. In March this year, during a hearing on the electoral bonds case, Nedumpara tried to intervene and repeatedly interrupted the proceedings.

At one point, the Chief Justice responded sternly, saying, “Don’t shout at me… This is not a meeting on the corner of Hyde Park; this is a court of law. If you want to make a motion, do it formally. My decision as Chief Justice is that we will not hear you. If you must make a motion, send it by email, according to the rules of the court.”

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