Supreme Court Disapproves High Court Judge's Unjustified Remarks

The Supreme Court has disapproved a Uttarakhand High Court judge's unjustified remarks against advocates. These remarks were previously expunged in 2021. The Supreme Court set aside two high court orders, calling the remarks illegal without serious basis. A practicing high court lawyer approached the top court to expunge the remarks.

The Supreme Court has flagged its disapproval regarding the conduct of a judge from the Uttarakhand High Court for making what were termed as 'unjustified and illegal' remarks against advocates. A bench including Justices PS Narasimha and Sandeep Mehta highlighted that similar incidents had occurred in 2021 when the same judge made critical comments against a lawyer, which were subsequently expunged by the apex court.

In a recent judgement, the Supreme Court nullified sections of the Uttarakhand High Court's orders from December 1, 2020, and December 7, 2021, that addressed the conduct of a practicing advocate and critiqued the same. The Supreme Court emphasized that the circumstances did not require any such serious remarks, making them unjustified and illegal according to the bench's findings.

The appeal to the Supreme Court originated from a lawyer who requested expungement of the remarks and revocations of the court orders. The Supreme Court verdict underscored the unwarranted nature of the judge's comments, further reiterating the necessity for judicial restraint in passing personal remarks against legal professionals.

(With inputs from agencies.)