Litigant’s Conduct Irks SC, Security Called to Remove Him from Courtroom

The Supreme Court ordered the security personnel to escort a litigant out of the courtroom after he levelled allegations against a former CJI, demanding justice.

New Delhi:The Supreme Court on Tuesday witnessed a high intensity drama in connection with allegations levelled by a litigant against former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. A two-judge bench was irked by the conduct of the litigant, who insisted on getting justice before his death, and ordered the security personnel to escort him out of the courtroom. Justice Gogoi retired on November 17, 2019.

Today, the matter came before a bench led by Justice Bela M Trivedi and comprising Justice Satish Chandra. Arun Ramchandra Hublikar had filed a plea against his “illegal termination” from the service while seeking an in-house inquiry against the former CJI for dismissing a plea previously in the service dispute. A bench headed by CJI D Y Chandrachud, on September 30, took a strong exception to the submissions seeking an inquiry against the former CJI and asked him to remove the name of the judge from the list of parties.

During the hearing, the two-judge bench got irked when the litigant took the name of the former CJI. The bench said it will impose cost on the litigant, as there is nothing in his case, and asked him to refrain from taking the name of any judge.

The litigant, who appeared to be agitated, said “How can you say that there is nothing in my case. How can it be said…It is injustice against me. At least, I should get justice before my death.”

Referring to former CJI, the litigant said he unwarrantedly interfered in a judgment and added that his life has become miserable, as the former CJI had interfered in order passed in his favour regarding his illegal termination.

The bench said it will dismiss the petition and directed the security personnel to remove the litigant from the courtroom.

Last month, a bench led by CJI D Y Chandrachud had asked him to remove the name of the former CJI from the list of parties as a condition to list his petition for the hearing. “How can you file a PIL with a judge as a respondent? There has to be some dignity. You cannot just say I want an in-house inquiry against a judge. Justice Ranjan Gogoi was a former judge of the Supreme Court,” the CJI had remarked.

The apex court said that Justice Gogoi retired as CJI and told the litigant that he cannot say that he wants an in-house inquiry against a judge because he did not succeed before the bench. “Sorry, we cannot tolerate this”, the bench had said.

Hublikar assured deletion of the name of the former CJI from the list of parties. The apex court ordered listing of the petition which came up for hearing today before a bench led by Justice Bela Trivedi.