Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Kumar on Thursday directed that advocates must not approach officers attached to his court, either personally or by telephone, following an incident in which an Advocate-on-Record’s son allegedly spoke abusively to a woman court officer.
The direction was issued during mentioning proceedings in Court No. 8, where Justice Kumar confronted the Advocate-on-Record about his son’s conduct and questioned the language used during the telephone conversation.
The judge announced that physical appearances would henceforth be provided immediately after the conclusion of a case. He prohibited advocates from contacting his court officers for this purpose, whether through personal visits or phone calls.
Judge Questions Advocate Over Son’s Behaviour
Justice Kumar questioned the advocate about whether he had taught his son to speak respectfully to women. Referring to the conversation with the court officer, he criticised the son’s use of abusive and insinuating language.
The judge also remarked that the nature of the language used made it inappropriate to describe the advocate’s son as a gentleman.
During the exchange, Justice Kumar asked whether the individual who had spoken to the officer was himself a lawyer.
He expressed strong displeasure over the incident and made it clear that his court officers should not have to face such treatment while performing their duties.
Possible Reference to Advocates-on-Record Association Raised
Justice Kumar also enquired whether any elected member of the Supreme Court Bar Association was present in the courtroom.
During his remarks, he referred to the possibility of taking the matter to the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA), while questioning the advocate about his responsibility concerning the conduct of his son.
The judge emphasised that the officers attached to his court performed their work with utmost diligence and should not be subjected to abusive remarks or insinuations.
He further warned the advocate against making any mention at that stage and reiterated that advocates would no longer be allowed to approach his court officers.
Justice Kumar said the episode had upset him at the very beginning of the day’s proceedings and stressed that he would not allow his court officers to be treated in such a manner.
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