VIDEO: Chief Justice’s ‘Don’t yell at me’ retort at poll bond hearing

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court today witnessed a dramatic exchange as a Constitution bench heard petitions arguing that the State Bank of India (SBI) had provided incomplete data following its landmark judgment in the electoral bonds case.

One such exchange was between lawyer Mathews Nedumpara and Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud.

Mr Nedupala, who wanted to intervene in the matter, said the electoral bonds case was “not at all a justiciable issue”. “This is a matter of policy and the courts should not get involved. That’s why people feel this judgment was made behind their backs,” he said.

As he spoke, the Chief Justice kept asking him to stop and listen. However, Mr Nedupala continued: “I am a citizen of this country.”

At this point, the Chief Justice said categorically: “Wait a minute, don’t shout at me.” Mr. Nedupala, who was on the defensive, replied: “No, no, I’m weak.”

The Chief Justice continued, “This is not Hyde Park Corner, you are in court. You want to make an application, submit an application. You have had a decision from me as Chief Justice and we are not going to listen to you. If You want to file, please move it to email. That’s the rule of this court.”

As Mr. Nedumpara continued speaking, Justice BR Gavai intervened, “You are obstructing the course of justice!”

The lawyer still didn’t back down. As he continued speaking, the bench said: “That’s it, we won’t hear you until you follow the prescribed procedure.” Mr Nedupala said they would submit the application and take an evening flight to reach Delhi . “Be kind to us,” he said. However, the bench did not budge.

The court also refused to hear arguments from senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi and Supreme Court Bar Association president Adish Agarwalla, who wanted to intervene during the hearing.

The judge also reminded the lawyer that he had faced contempt proceedings in the past. In 2019, the Supreme Court held Mr. Nedumpara in contempt of court. He then promised that he would never “try to intimidate any judge of this court or the Bombay High Court” again. The court sentenced him to three months in prison, “but the execution will be suspended only if Shri Nedumpara continues to abide by the commitments made to us today in the future”. He was also banned from practicing law in the Supreme Court for one year.

The Supreme Court today asked SBI to disclose all details of the bonds being redeemed, including alphanumeric numbers and serial numbers, if any. It also asked the SBI chairman to file an affidavit stating that no information was withheld. The Election Commission has been asked to upload the data received from SBI.