NEW DELHI: Unprecedented drama unfolded in the Supreme Court on Friday, when a petitioner appearing in person disrupted proceedings by shouting at the bench, hurling case files into the air, and directing foul language toward CJI Surya Kant.
Despite the severe breach of courtroom decorum, the top court displayed restraint, refusing to initiate contempt proceedings and choosing instead to dismiss the case strictly on its legal merits.
The confrontation took place around 11:00 AM before a partial court working days bench comprising Justices K.V. Viswanathan and Alok Aradhe in Courtroom No. 13.
The petitioner, identified as Prabal Pratap from Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, was appealing an Allahabad High Court order that had refused to interfere with a trial court’s decision to treat his application under Section 173(4) of the BNSS as a private complaint rather than directing the registration of an FIR.
Right at the outset of the hearing, Pratap adopted an aggressive stance. Instead of making standard legal arguments, he addressed the bench directly, declaring:
"Mr. judicial servant, I order you to order the registration of an FIR against ACP Vikas Nagar, Lucknow... because I am the sovereign."
Taken aback by the hostile tone, Justice Viswanathan interjected, "You are ordering me? You are ordering us?"
The situation escalated rapidly when Pratap pulled a bundle of documents from his 155-page file and flung them violently into the air, scattering papers across the courtroom floor. As Supreme Court security personnel rushed to restrain him, Pratap began shouting abusive remarks directed at CJI Surya Kant.
The bench remained completely composed throughout the disruption and quietly proceeded with the rest of the day's cause list.
Later in the day, the bench released a brief, one-page order noting the litigant's condition and explicitly declining to take punitive action:
"When this matter was taken up, Mr. Prabal Pratap, who appeared as petitioner-in-person on behalf of both the petitioners in this matter, instead of presenting the case, made incoherent and unparliamentary utterances. We have, however, considering the condition of the petitioner above named, do not propose to take any action against him."
Addressing the incident after the removal of the litigant, Justice Viswanathan remarked to senior advocates present in the room: "He is very disturbed... it's all frustration. We only have sympathies for him."
Turning strictly to the merits of the Special Leave Petition (SLP), the court noted that a thorough review of the records revealed no good grounds to overturn the Allahabad High Court's judgment. The SLP was accordingly dismissed.
The Supreme Court Arguing Counsel Association has reportedly written to Chief Justice Surya Kant, demanding "strong and strict action" against those involved.
The association warned that the selective circulation of video clips of the incident on social media platforms by "self-styled journalists" threatens to erode public confidence in the judiciary, calling for a firm institutional intervention to preserve courtroom sanctity.
(With inputs from Agencies)
Also in top court
SC defers hearing on equestrian team
The Supreme Court on Friday said it would hear next week pleas challenging the Delhi High Court’s refusal to interfere with the non-selection of riders Anush Agarwalla and Sudipti Hajela in India’s dressage team for the upcoming Asian Games in Japan. A bench said that the judges have not gone through the case files.
SC raps Maha govt over delayed trial
Coming down heavily on Maharashtra over inordinate delay in a murder trial, the Supreme Court said that an accused has been behind bars for more than four years, with just 2 of 45 prosecution witnesses examined so far and observed that right to speedy trial is part of Article 21 and custody can’t become punishment.
