NEW DELHI:”Don’t defile the temple of justice. For, on the day the credibility of this institution (Supreme Court) goes, the credibility of the counsels will also be lost.

The 5-Judge Constitution Bench of the Apex Court was forced to make these observations to the counsels of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ginirai Kishora which it was brought to the judges’ notice that a person had put up a saffron flag inside the precincts of the court Chief Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah, who was presiding over the Bench, had to even make it clear to the VHP leader’s senior counsel, D.V.Sehgal, that unless his client ensured the removal of the flag immediately, there was likelihood of the court sending him (Giriraj Kishore) to jail. Justice Venkatachaliah also had to ask the counsel as to whether it was a coincidence that the flag had been put up on that very day, when Giriraj Kishore was appearing before the court in response to a notice in a contempt petition moved against him for allegedly criticizing the Apex Court on the Ayodhya matter in the media.

“Mr.Sehgal, besides being a senior counsel, you are a former High Court Judge. Can you allow institutions like the judiciary to be vandalized? Other- wise wind up this institution and go back to streets. Get the flag removed or else the court knows how to get it done,” Justice Verma warned.

When VHP counsel Randhir Jain claimed that the flag may have been put up by some others who wanted to spite the image of the organization, the CHcut him short by saying “Don’t tell these cock and bull story. Don’t tell us this nonsense. Put it to your conscience and tell us as to what exactly had happened. Are you suggesting that some Mushms have done this to spite your clients?”

However, Soghal submitted that distorted versions were being presented before the Apex Court to put the VHP in a bad light. He made it clear that the organization was neither militant nor believed in violence as it was being made out

This forced Justice Verma to ob- serve that it was strange some persons who took law into their own hands ended up seeking mercy before the courts “It is only when someone mightier than you holds you by the scruff of your neck that you come running to us. Pray for your client that he does not need this kind of protection.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 13, 1994