SupremeCourt – CJI Surya Kant Rejects Reports on CJP Protest Hearing Refusal
SupremeCourt – Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Friday dismissed media reports suggesting that he had refused to list a case concerning alleged police excesses during a protest linked to the CJP, stating that such claims were factually incorrect. Addressing the issue in open court, the Chief Justice clarified that no writ petition had been filed before the Supreme Court, making it impossible for the matter to be listed in the manner reported by several media outlets.
CJI Clarifies the Status of the Matter
The clarification came while Senior Advocate Shoeb Alam was mentioning a separate matter for listing. During the proceedings, Justice Surya Kant said he had verified the position with the Supreme Court registry and found that no petition related to the allegations had been officially submitted. He stressed that the reports claiming he had declined to hear the matter were based on inaccurate information.
According to the Chief Justice, what had reached the court was only a written representation rather than a formally instituted writ petition. Since a representation does not carry the legal status of a petition, it cannot be processed or listed for judicial consideration under the regular procedure.
Court Criticises Inaccurate Media Coverage
Expressing concern over the manner in which the developments were reported, Justice Kant described the coverage as irresponsible and reckless. He observed that a false impression had been created over the past two days by suggesting that a petition was pending before the Supreme Court when, in reality, no such filing existed.
The Chief Justice further noted that even by 10 a.m. on Friday, the registry had not received any petition in the matter. Referring to the representation that had been submitted, he questioned how such a document could be treated as a writ petition without following the prescribed legal process. He remarked that reporting otherwise misrepresented the actual position before the court.
Background of the Earlier Court Proceedings
The controversy stems from proceedings held on Wednesday, when Advocate Narendra Mishra sought an urgent hearing on allegations of police brutality during a protest in Delhi associated with the CJP. Instead of filing a petition beforehand, the lawyer orally mentioned the issue before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohana.
The bench declined to entertain the oral request, with the Chief Justice indicating that the court’s time should not be spent on a matter that had not been properly filed in accordance with legal procedure. The observation later became the subject of media reports, which suggested that the court had refused to hear the issue itself.
Bench Also Declined to Examine Videos
During the same proceedings, the advocate requested the bench to view video clips that were said to depict the alleged police action during the protest. The judges, however, declined to examine the footage at the stage of oral mentioning.
The court indicated that it was not inclined to assess such material without a formally filed case before it. The latest clarification from the Chief Justice reinforces that the issue was procedural rather than a rejection of a duly instituted petition, as no writ petition had been presented to the Supreme Court for consideration.