New Delhi: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, on Monday, came down hard on an advocate for making “reckless submissions”, warning of strict action if “he continued to misbehave.”
The incident occurred during the mentioning round, when advocate Mathews Nedumpara sought to raise a petition challenging the collegium system of judicial appointments. He sought restoration of the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC).
This is when CJI Kant noted that there was no such petition listed before the Registry, as reported by Live Law.
The advocate then remarked that while Constitution benches were being formed for matters concerning business tycoons “Ambani and
Adani”, issues affecting the common man were not being heard.
This reaction did not go down well with the bench and the CJI expressed his displeasure.
“Mr. Nedumpara, be careful with what you submit in my court. You have seen me in Chandigarh, in Delhi… I am warning you, be careful. Don’t think you will be able to continue misbehaving as you have been doing with other benches. I am warning you,” a visibly upset CJI Kant said.
Nedumpara had, in the past, had attempted to revive the challenge to the collegium system. In 2024, the Supreme Court Registry had refused to register his fresh writ petition, observing that the issue had already been settled in the NJAC judgment and a new petition on the same issue was not maintainable.
Former Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna had also pulled up Nedumpara in 2025 when he sought listing of the matter.
“Don’t make a political speech in the Court,” CJI Khanna had told him at the time.
In 2015, the Supreme Court had upheld the collegium system, striking down the NJAC Act, reaffirming judicial primacy in appointments.