DY Chandrachud, the Chief Justice of India (CJI), became irritated on Tuesday when a lawyer mentioned a case and requested an early hearing before a bench led by him.
The CJI told the lawyer that the case would be listed on April 17, but when he asked for permission to bring it before another bench, the CJI told him not to’mess’ with his authority.
“Your date is the 17th; do you want to mention it before another bench in order to get a 14th?” The CJI inquired of the counsel, who replied that the court had taken up a similar matter on Monday, as well as some new matters.
“If it is listed for 17th it will come on 17th. Don’t mess around with my authority. Do not play these tricks with me. You can’t mention it here and then elsewhere for an earlier date,” he added.
Following the incident, the lawyer expressed regret and requested that his submissions be excused. “Yes, you are excused,” the CJI, who was sitting with justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala on the bench, told him.
According to a news agency, the CJI-led bench hears around 100 cases every morning for their urgent listing in the Supreme Court.
Earlier in March, during a case involving the allotment of land for lawyers’ chambers, CJI Chandrachud reprimanded Vikas Singh, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association.
When Singh urged for the matter to be listed, the CJI lost his cool and said they would have to take it to the judge’s residence if it was not listed.