SC registers case over SCBA resolution on Andhra HC judge sending young lawyer to custody

It had said, The SCBA expresses its deep concern and shock at the reported incident dated May 5, 2026, before the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, wherein a young advocate was allegedly directed to be taken into judicial custody for 24 hours during court proceedings before Justice Tarlada Rajasekhar Rao. According to the resolution, any action that causes fear, humiliation, or intimidation among young advocates has the potential to adversely affect the independence of the bar and the optimal operation of the justice delivery system.

The Supreme Court on Friday registered a case treating a resolution passed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) as a PIL after the bar body expressed concern over an Andhra Pradesh High Court judge reportedly sending a young advocate to 24-hour judicial custody for a procedural lapse. According to the apex court website, the case has been tentatively listed for hearing on May 15. On May 6, the bar body, while expressing shock at the high court order, urged Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to take cognisance of the incident. The SCBA resolution, issued through its president Vikas Singh, underlined that judicial strength is best demonstrated through patience, rather than fear, especially when dealing with young advocates who are still learning the profession. It had said, ''The SCBA expresses its deep concern and shock at the reported incident dated May 5, 2026, before the High Court of Andhra Pradesh, wherein a young advocate was allegedly directed to be taken into judicial custody for 24 hours during court proceedings before Justice Tarlada Rajasekhar Rao.'' According to the resolution, any action that causes fear, humiliation, or intimidation among young advocates has the potential to adversely affect the independence of the bar and the optimal operation of the justice delivery system. ''The SCBA respectfully urges the CJI to kindly take appropriate institutional cognisance of the matter, graciously call for the relevant records and proceedings, and consider such corrective and administrative measures as may be deemed appropriate in the interest of preserving public confidence in the judiciary and maintaining cordial bar-bench relations,'' the association said. The resolution stressed that the relationship between the bench and bar was founded on mutual respect, dignity, patience, and institutional balance, and that advocates were officers of the court. ''While the authority and majesty of courts must always be respected and maintained, the exercise of judicial powers must equally reflect restraint, proportionality, fairness, and compassion,'' it said. The resolution said that judicial strength must be reflected through patience and balanced conduct, particularly while dealing with young lawyers who were still learning and evolving in the profession. The Bar Council of India (BCI), which is a statutory body, has also sought an urgent intervention of the CJI into the same matter. According to the BCI, a video circulating online showed Justice Rao rebuking a young advocate who was unable to produce a specific order copy during a hearing. In a formal representation, the BCI has said that despite the advocate ''repeatedly seeking pardon and mercy'' and claiming he was in physical pain, the judge remained ''unmoved''. The judge had allegedly told the lawyer, ''Now you will learn,'' and mocked his experience before directing the Registrar and police personnel to take him into custody for 24 hours. BCI chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra, in his letter, said the judge's actions lacked proportionality and fairness.