CJI Warns Lawyer to “Lower Your Pitch” During the Hearing of the Kolkata Rape-Murder Case
The incident occurred while a bench consisting of the CJI and Justices Manoj Misra and JB Pardiwala was hearing the rape and murder case of a Kolkata doctor.
Image Source: Hindustan Times
On Monday, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud reprimanded a lawyer, instructing him to lower his voice during a Supreme Court hearing. The incident occurred while a bench consisting of the CJI and Justices Manoj Misra and JB Pardiwala was hearing the case of a Kolkata doctor’s rape and murder.
The junior doctor was assaulted and murdered on August 9 in a seminar hall at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, an incident that has sparked nationwide protests. During the hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the West Bengal government, informed the court that he had videos and photographs allegedly showing lawyer Kaustav Bagchi, who is also a BJP leader, throwing stones at a protest over the crime, according to NDTV.
In response, Bagchi questioned how a senior counsel like Sibal could make such statements in court. The CJI then interjected, saying, “Are you trying to address the gallery outside the court? I have been noticing your behavior for the last two hours.” He further asked the lawyer to lower his voice, reminding him, “You are addressing three judges in front of you, not the large audience watching these proceedings on the video conferencing platform.” Following this, Bagchi apologized to the court.
The Chief Justice later expressed his discontent, stating he was not accustomed to multiple lawyers arguing simultaneously. “I am not used to this kind of advocacy where 7-8 people are arguing at the same time,” he remarked.
During the hearing, CJI Chandrachud also commented on the doctors’ protests following the rape and murder incident, emphasizing that such protests should not continue at the expense of their professional duties. The court, handling the matter as a suo moto case, indicated that if the protesting doctors did not resume work, it could not prevent the West Bengal government from taking disciplinary action against them.
CJI Chandrachud further stated that if the doctors returned to work by 5 p.m. the following day, no adverse action would be taken against them. “We want to ensure that doctors resume work, and we will provide them with safety and security, but they have to join work. When we said that no adverse action shall be taken against the doctors, Mr. (Kapil) Sibal added that there should be no action, including punitive transfers,” he noted.
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