Senior advocate alleges SC bench’s failure to control court, withdraws from Delhi protest cases

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who was appearing in a batch of petitions alleging police brutality during the ongoing youth protests in Delhi, has withdrawn from seven cases after alleging that the Supreme Court bench failed to maintain order as he faced repeated interruptions and the alleged snatching of his microphone while presenting his arguments.

Sankaranarayanan announced his decision on Thursday (October 15), following a hearing before a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, which was considering 46 petitions concerning alleged police excesses, unlawful detentions, restrictions on public movement, journalists’ rights and the denotification of Jantar Mantar as a designated protest site.

Speaking to Bar and Bench, the senior advocate expressed his displeasure over the proceedings, saying, “The bench failed to control the court. I cannot continue like this. Dignity of the court is more important.” He reportedly informed his clients that he would no longer represent them in the cases.

According to Bar and Bench, Sankaranarayanan was repeatedly interrupted by other counsel while presenting his submissions, preventing him from completing his arguments, and a senior woman lawyer appearing on the same side allegedly snatched the microphone from him during the proceedings.

The advocate walked out of the courtroom before the hearing concluded, maintaining that the dignity and decorum of the court were paramount and that he could not continue under such circumstances.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court issued notices to the Centre and the Delhi Police in several petitions, while directing the police to preserve CCTV footage and other digital evidence relevant to the cases.