The Supreme Court on Wednesday concluded suo motu proceedings initiated over alleged inappropriate comments made by a Karnataka High Court judge during court hearings. A five-judge bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud noted that Karnataka High Court Judge Justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda, who made the controversial remarks, had issued an apology for his comments in open court on September 21.
"We can't call any part of the territory of India as Pakistan," the CJI said. The bench, which included Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B.R. Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, emphasized that courts must exercise caution and avoid making remarks during judicial proceedings that could be seen as misogynistic or prejudicial to any community.
"Casual observations may well reflect a certain degree of individual bias, particularly when they are likely to be perceived as being directed to a particular gender or community," the bench remarked.
The top court had, on September 20, taken suo motu notice of the high court judge's alleged objectionable comments directed at a woman lawyer during proceedings in a case, as well as his reference to a Muslim-majority area in Bengaluru as "Pakistan."
In viral video clips, Justice Srishananda was seen reprimanding a woman lawyer and reportedly made inappropriate comments when she intervened in an ongoing hearing. In a separate case regarding a landlord-tenant dispute, the judge referred to a Muslim-dominated locality in Bengaluru as "Pakistan."
"At this stage, we request the Registrar General of the High Court of Karnataka to submit a report to this court after seeking administrative directions from the Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka regarding the subject matter referenced above," the apex court stated on September 20.
