Justice Saurabh Banerjee of the Delhi High Court strongly rebuked a lawyer last week after she alleged that the judge was related to another counsel appearing in the case.
During the hearing on September 12, Justice Banerjee categorically rejected the allegation, calling the lawyer a “blatant liar.” The judge noted that the remark was conveyed to him through his court master and described the allegation as baseless.
“In the open court, she had the audacity… She came to my court master and the court master came to my room (to tell me about it). I said there was nothing of the sort,” Justice Banerjee observed.
He stressed that such falsehoods could not be allowed to go unchecked.
“It is very unnerving for a sitting judge to come to know, in open court, that someone says I am your relative… I don’t know how many relatives will sprout up if this is not nipped in the bud,” he remarked.
Threat of Debarment
Taking a stern view, Justice Banerjee warned that he would pass orders debarring the lawyer from practising before the Delhi High Court.
“She is going to be debarred from appearing in Delhi High Court, confirmed. Her license will be surrendered. I am not going to make a change,” he said.
Justice Banerjee also turned to leaders of the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) present in court and asked them how they would react if similar allegations were made against them.
Bar Association’s Presence
Senior Advocate and DHCBA President N Hariharan was also present before the Bench during the exchange.
After some deliberation, Justice Banerjee ultimately refrained from issuing a debarment order but cautioned the lawyer against repeating such conduct in the future.
“If this is repeated again, I’ll see under what circumstances you’ll practice as a lawyer,” he warned.
The incident highlights the court’s zero tolerance towards attempts to undermine judicial integrity with unfounded allegations.
