There’s a certain amount of respect you’re supposed to have in the Supreme Court. The language is typically metric.Language is typically metric. The anger is generally wrapped in heavy legal jargon. However, this time it was the supreme court of the land that nearly blew up this past Friday. Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi were presiding over a petition that on its face appeared to be a rather banal one. A lawyer named Sanjay Dubey was really battling before the Delhi High Court for a designation of ‘Senior Advocate. He wanted the gown. The High Court wasn’t giving it to him. He brought the matter all the way to the Supreme Court
The bench could not be pleased. They were aggressive in not accepting that someone would come along and try to force their way through to an honorary degree. A senior designation is supposed to be conferred based on merit and standing. You don’t sue in order to get it. It was an open question by Justice Bagchi whether Dubey was only interested in the title as a status symbol and not a means to do justice. The Chief Justice was a lot more straight to the point. He categorically told Dubey that he doesn’t deserve the senior tag—at all, in the entire world. Even if the lower court erred and issued it, the Supreme Court would immediately reverse it on his demeanor, he warned. They referred to his Facebook posts. He was challenged on his discipline. Then, the hearing went on an extremely controversial detour.
The comparison of the Infamous Insect is quite a popular project.
The Chief Justice refused the lawyers’ petition. From this particular case, he turned to a devastating attack on the manner in which everyone uses the judicial system right now. It was very frustrating. He spoke about “parasites” in society, who live off of the body of institutions “for the good of the whole”. He broadcasted to Dubey whether he was trying to get himself enlisted with them.
Then there was the following epigrammatic quote that lit the newsroom and social media ablaze. CJI Kant was targeting the very specific of a demographic. He said that there are youngsters today that are like cockroaches. He said that they are unable to secure a job. They are unable to secure a respectable job. That is, they remyfy their personalities. The unemployed youths are suddenly turned into media personnel, according to the Chief Justice. They turn into social media commentators. They identify themselves as ‘Right to know activists’. Then their whole new career is based on the attack of all in the system.
That was a tremendous statement from the bench. The term ‘household pests’ is certainly loaded as a way of comparing any group of citizens to household pests. It veers a very clear line between judicial observation and raw, unfiltered venting. The bench was definitely letting the digital world know they are getting to the end of their rope. However, the vehicle they were using to bring that message was a public relations disaster waiting to happen.
The Bar Council is taking aim at the taking aim.
It wasn’t just online activists who were the target of the anger. The Chief Justice fired a big gun in the legal profession. He raised the topic of bogus legal degrees. The CJI highlighted it in a very striking manner, but this is not new in India. He said that he was only waiting for that case to have a gigantic Central Bureau of Investigation investigation into lawyers in Delhi. He particularly referred to Tis Hazari court complex.
He didn’t mince words. He openly said he has serious doubts as to the authenticity of the degrees of thousands of individuals in black robes. He utterly dumped the Bar Council of India. The BCI is the official regulatory body of lawyers. This is what they are supposed to police. The Chief Justice emphatically told the courthouse that the BCI will never do anything about cleaning up the fraud, because they need the votes of those fake lawyers to remain in power. It was an incredible public declaration of the failure of the whole system of regulation. Taking this severe slamming, Dubey promptly apologized and withdrew his petition. He was released by the court. However, quotes were already floating around
The Saturday Morning Damage Control
Calling youth today as cockroaches in modern India is just not going to do the trick. The reaction was swift and strong. The words of the lawyers, politicians and laypeople were picked up. Supreme Court by Saturday morning was in damage control mode. The Chief Justice released a formal statement.
It was a textbook example of a change of tack in an institution! He stated he was “tremendously upset. He said a part of the media had taken a very wrong turn with their oral observations. He said it was absolutely ill-reasoned to think that he was condemning the country’s younger generation. He, indeed, hailed the young people as his inspiration, and the pillars of a developed India.
His new explanation dramatically changed the way he explained the Friday outburst. The “parasites” and “cockroaches” remarks were never targeted at the overall group of young people who were not working, he said. He was speaking about those who get into noble professions with fake degrees and qualifications. This Saturday clarification said that the insects he meant were just the imposters who enter the legal profession, the media and social media platforms to wreak havoc.
The Relationship of the Bench and the Web
The clarification helps defuse instant rage, but the fact is that things are very complicated. Take a look at the raw transcripts and the Friday reports and you’ll see that the media didn’t really get it wrong. They actually said what he said at that time. The statement on the Saturday is not a correction of a misquote. It’s desperately trying to apply context to a badly-taken metaphor that the court rejected.
