NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has called for a report from the Karnataka High Court concerning controversial remarks made by Justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda during a recent hearing. In the context of a landlord-tenant dispute, Justice Srishananda referred to a Muslim-majority area in Bengaluru as “Pakistan” and made a misogynistic comment about a woman lawyer.
A five-judge bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, alongside Justices S Khanna, B R Gavai, S Kant, and H Roy, emphasized the need for clear guidelines regarding the conduct of constitutional court judges in their remarks. The bench highlighted the urgency of ensuring that judicial commentary meets the decorum expected in courts, especially with the influence of social media in amplifying courtroom proceedings.
“Attention has been drawn to media reports regarding the comments made by Justice…of Karnataka High Court during court proceedings. We request the Karnataka High Court to submit a report after consulting with the Chief Justice of the high court,” Chief Justice Chandrachud stated. “We may lay down some basic guidelines.”
The Chief Justice ordered that the report be filed within two days, with a hearing scheduled for Wednesday of next week.
Videos of Justice Srishananda’s comments have gone viral on social media. In one clip, he referred to a Muslim-dominated locality in Bengaluru as “Pakistan.” In another instance, he made inappropriate remarks to a woman lawyer, suggesting she seemed to know a lot about the “opposition party,” even implying she might be able to reveal the color of their undergarments.
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