Just hours after a video of Karnataka High Court judge Justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda referring to a Muslim-majority sub-locality in West Bengaluru as ‘Pakistan’ went viral on social media, another controversial video of the judge has surfaced. In this new video, Justice Srishananda is seen making a gender-insensitive comment while reprimanding a woman lawyer for responding to a question posed to the counsel of the opposing party.
The judge, in a lighthearted manner, remarked that the woman seemed to know so much about the opposing party that she might even reveal the color of his undergarments. The comment, made in Kannada, was followed by smiles from others in the courtroom, but it has since drawn widespread criticism online.
The incident began when Justice Srishananda asked a male advocate whether the person being discussed was an income tax assessee. Before the lawyer could respond, the opposing counsel, a woman advocate, answered the question, prompting the judge to ask why she was replying and to remark, “Wait amma.” When she apologized, he made the now-controversial comment.
The video has sparked outrage on social media, with many calling for disciplinary action against the judge. Senior Advocate Indira Jaising shared the clip on her X account, criticizing the judge for his behavior and calling for him to undergo gender sensitization training. Jaising urged the Chief Justice of India to take suo motu action against Justice Srishananda and ensure appropriate measures are taken to address the issue.