Judge V Srishananda of the Karnataka High Court received harsh criticism from the Supreme Court for his divisive remarks he made during a recent hearing over a Bengaluru locality, stating that that it is not at all correct to call a portion of India and refer it with Pakistan and can't call region of India Pakistan.
Why in the News?
- A five-judge panel hearing the suo motu matter about the widely circulated video of Justice V Srishanandan of the Karnataka High Court's divisive remarks during hearings included Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice Khanna, Justice Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice Roy.
- He was seen calling an ostensibly Muslim-dominated region of Bangalore "Pakistan" in one video. He was heard making offensive comments to a woman advocate in a divorce dispute in another video.
Observation by the Court
- Following the Supreme Court's action over the viral video recordings, the Judge expressed sorrow in open court, and the Court decided not to pursue the matter further. Simultaneously, the Court made a number of noteworthy observations regarding the necessity for judges to exercise restraint, especially in the era of electronic media, where court events are widely reported.
- The Karnataka High Court's Registrar General's report, which the Court reviewed, indicated that Justice Srishananda's remarks had nothing to do with the topic at hand.
- Declaring that remarks, the Supreme Court Blasts Karnataka Judge that something like this should be avoided, the Court expressed its dissatisfaction of the judge's remarks disparaging a gender and a group.
Apology by the Judge
- The CJI informed R Venkataramani, the Attorney General of India, and Tushar Mehta, the Solicitor General of India, that the Karnataka High Court's report on the occurrence had been received when the suo motu proceedings got underway. The CJI report was given to the AG as well as the SG for assessment.
- SG argued that the matter should be closed because Justice Srishananda showed sorrow for the words. "It might not be stretched because the judge has now expressed regret. We are all now seen by the public, so sometimes we say things," SG remarked.
- The Supreme Court Blasts Karnataka Judge and observed that the judge's declaration of remorse, which was made in open court on September 21 following the Supreme Court's suo motu cognizance, was taken from the Report of the High Court Registrar General.
The court hearings that are on the YouTube channel of the High Court of Karnataka were prohibited and stopped from being shared by the general public or any other social media web sites.
The Karnataka Rules on Live-Streaming & Recording of Court Proceedings, of the year 2021, were most allegedly broken and breached by social media platforms as well as the private YouTube channels, according to a petition that was filed by the Advocates' Association, Bengaluru (AAB). This however led to the interim order being granted in response to the complaints of the AAB.
The justice-related videos Due to Srishananda's comments, there was a great deal of backlash on social media from both the public and the legal community. For instance, senior advocates Indira Jaising and Sanjoy Ghose were quick to condemn the judge’s remarks, while emphasizing that decorum is paramount at all times as well as the dangers such remarks can pose as they can easily be made in live coverage.
Sharks of Law is a one-stop legal resource that houses a wealth of knowledge on various laws as well as recent legal news with the best credentials in the field. You can find a lawyer who satisfies your legal needs with this law firm for online consultation. If you require legal advice in any areas of law, the lawyers at Sharks of Law have the experience to provide it.
Email:-helpdesk@sharksoflaw.com
Help Desk:-+91-88770-01993