New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Monday rebuked a lawyer and asked him to lower his voice during a hearing in the Supreme Court.
The rape and murder of the junior doctor in a seminar hall of the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on August 9 has sparked nationwide protests.
During the hearing on Monday, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the West Bengal government, told the court that he has videos and photographs to show that the lawyer was throwing stones at a protest over the crime, reported NDTV.
This prompted lawyer, Kaustav Bagchi, also a BJP leader, to ask how a senior counsel like him (Sibal) can make such statements in court.
To this, the chief justice of India, retorted, saying: “Are you trying to address the gallery outside the court? I have been noticing your demeanour for the last two hours.”
He also cautioned the lawyer to lower his voice.
“Can you first lower your pitch? Listen to the Chief Justice, lower your pitch. You are addressing three judges in front of you, not the large audience who is watching these proceedings on the video conferencing platform,” the chief justice was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Bagchi then tendered an apology to the court.
Subsequently, during the hearing, the chief justice expressed his disappointment, saying he is not used to multiple lawyers arguing at the same time.
“I am not used to this kind of advocacy where 7-8 people are arguing at the same time,” he said.
