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Journalism of Courage
A visibly upset Chief Justice of India Surya Kant Friday likened some unemployed youth in law to “cockroaches” and said “some become media… social media… RTI activists” and “start attacking” the “system”.
Annoyed with a lawyer who had filed a petition seeking directions to the Delhi High Court in the matter of designation of a Senior Advocate which he too wished to become, the CJI, who was on a bench with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, said judges were aware of social media posts “against the system”. He said there were already enough “parasites” in society attacking the judiciary, and lawyers should not join hands with them.
Pulling up the lawyer who appeared in person, the CJI said, “There are already parasites of society who attack the system and you want to join hands with them? There are youngsters like cockroaches, they don’t get any employment, they don’t have any place in profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, some of them become RTI activists, some of them become other activists, and they start attacking everyone… And you people file contempt petitions,” he said.
Voicing concern that a large number of law degrees in Delhi could be fake, the CJI said it would want the CBI to verify this because the Bar Council of India (BCI) was not taking any action.
The petitioner told the bench it was the third time that he was approaching the Supreme Court. He contended that the High Court had failed to comply with the top court’s earlier direction to reconsider expeditiously, and had deferred or rejected applications.
Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao, who appeared for the High Court, said interviews for the senior designation process were currently underway.
Making its displeasure clear, the CJI told the petitioner: “The whole world might be eligible for senior designation, but at least you are not. If the High Court makes you senior, we will set it aside, seeing your professional conduct.”
Justice Bagchi wondered if the petitioner had no other matter to pursue. “You have no other litigation? This is the standing of a person who expects to be conferred a senior gown?” he said.
Dismissing his plea, the bench, in its order, said he “indulges in filing frivolous petitions”.
The counsel apologised and urged the court to allow him to withdraw the plea, to which the bench agreed.
The CJI then said, “I am waiting for some matter… I want the CBI to verify their LLB degrees, most of Delhi… in Tis Hazari… BCI will never do… They need their votes… And thousands of them are fraudulent people wearing these black robes… I have serious doubts on the genuineness of their degrees. Only the CBI will have to do something. BCI will never do so, because they are absolutely in collusion.”
