An intense exchange unfolded in Court No. 1 of the Supreme Court today as Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud sternly rebuked a lawyer for attempting to make changes to an order that had not yet been finalized.
The order in question had only been noted by the court master and was awaiting the signatures of the judges before being uploaded. Just as the Bench—comprising CJI Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala, and Justice Manoj Misra—was about to adjourn for the day, a lawyer involved in an arbitration case raised the issue, requesting modifications to the order.
Visibly frustrated by the lawyer’s reference to an order that had not been signed, the CJI reprimanded him for consulting the court master regarding its contents.
“How dare you speak to the court master and ask about what was dictated?” CJI Chandrachud said, turning to the court master and asking, “Aap ne use kuch bola kya?” (Did you tell him anything?).
After the court master’s response, CJI Chandrachud, clearly irritated, remarked, “The court master says otherwise! Are you now going to come to my house and tell me what I dictated to my officer? The final order is the one we sign. Don’t try these funny tricks with me.”
The CJI then asked the lawyer to hand over the slip of paper on which he had jotted something down based on his interaction with the court master.
“So, it says the arbitrator was appointed… but we haven’t even seen it yet. Going to my stenographer or secretary is not acceptable. I don’t have a long tenure left, but I am in charge until my very last day,” said the CJI, his displeasure evident.
Even as the Bench rose, the matter continued with CJI Chandrachud instructing the court master, “Aap andar aaiye zara” (Come inside, please).
