New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday sought a report from the Karnataka High Court's Registrar General on the controversial comments made by Justice V Srishananda.
A five-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hrishikesh Roy directed the registrar general of the High Court to submit a report to this court after seeking administrative directions from the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court in 2 weeks," the top court directed.
The matter relates to two videos of Justice V.Srishananda which had gone viral on social media.
In one video, he is seen referring to a Muslim-dominated sub-locality in West Bengaluru as 'Pakistan'.
In another video, he reprimands a woman lawyer for answering a question asked by the counsel of the opposing party.
The judge goes on to tell the lady lawyer that she seems to know a lot about the opposite party and that she might even reveal the colour of his undergarments next.
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Another controversial video of Karnataka High Court judge who made 'Pakistan' comment surfaces
Justice Srishananda is seen reprimanding a woman lawyer for answering a question put to the counsel for the opposite party. pic.twitter.com/7KtWKnoCGD
The Supreme Court Suo moto took note of the controversial commentsand sought the assistance of Attorney Geral (AG) R Venkataramani and Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta in the matter.
The Bench said, “Our attention has been drawn to some comment made by Karnataka High Court judge Justice V Srishananda during the conduct of judicial proceedings.
"We have asked the AG and SG to assist us and we may lay down some basic guidelines," the Court said.
The bench said at a time when social media is keenly watching the court proceedings and comments on them, there is a need for laying down guidelines for the constitutional court Judges to exercise restraint while making remarks during judicial proceedings.