In the final days as the Chief Justice of India (CJI), DY Chandrachud rebuked a lawyer in the Supreme Court on Thursday, October 3, after the latter said he had cross-checked with the court master about the details of an order dictated in court.
“How dare you ask the court master what I dictated in the court? Tomorrow you will come to my house and ask the personal secretary what I am doing. Lawyers have lost all sense or what,” the CJI reprimanded the lawyer.
Asserting that he was still in charge, although for a short time, he slammed the lawyer saying, “Don’t try these funny tricks again, these are my last days in the court.”
CJI Chandrachud will retire on November 10. Justice Sanjiv Khanna is the next in line for the top legal post. Chandrachud, known as a tough taskmaster, often reinforces court decorum to maintain discipline during court proceedings.
This week, the CJI pulled up another lawyer for his informal use of words. The lawyer had replied to Chandrachud saying, “yeah”. “This is not a coffee shop! What is this ‘yeah, yeah’. I am very allergic to this ‘yeah, yeah’. This cannot be allowed,” the CJI said sternly.
On another occasion, while hearing the infamous electoral bonds scam case, CJI Chandrachud blasted a lawyer for shouting in the court.
“Don’t shout at me. This is not a Hyde Park corner meeting, you are in the court. If you want to move an application, file an application. You have got my decision as Chief Justice, we are not hearing you. If you want to file an application, move it to the email. That’s the rule in this court,” he had said.
