Allergic to people saying yeah: Chief Justice schools petitioner in Supreme Court

Chief Justice DY Chandrachud took exception to a petitioner's use of the term "yeah" while addressing the bench during a hearing in the Supreme Court today.

In Short

• Chief Justice rebukes petitioner for casual tone while addressing bench
• Says he is "allergic" to people saying yeah
• Petitioner represents himself, argues wrongful dismissal of case

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Monday took issue with a petitioner’s informal tone during a Supreme Court hearing, expressing disapproval over the use of the term "yeah" while addressing the bench.

"Don't say 'yeah yeah yeah.' Say 'Yes.' This is not a coffee shop. This is a court. I am a little allergic to people saying 'yeah.' This cannot be allowed," remarked the Chief Justice, prompting the petitioner to correct his language.

The petitioner, representing himself, was arguing a writ petition related to what he termed wrongful dismissal of a plea challenging his "illegal termination" from service by former Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. The petitioner sought a probe against Gogoi, who is now a Rajya Sabha MP.

The exchange grew heated when Chief Justice Chandrachud questioned whether the matter was appropriate for an Article 32 plea, which allows for direct appeals to the Supreme Court for fundamental rights violations.

"Is this an Article 32 plea? How can you file a PIL with a judge as a respondent? There has to be some dignity," the Chief Justice said.

The petitioner responded, "Yeah, yeah, the then CJI Ranjan Gogoi. I was asked to file a curative."

His use of casual lingo drew the Chief Justice's rebuke and a primer on court decorum, along with a legal clarification.

"Justice Gogoi was a former judge of this court and you cannot file a plea like this against a judge and seek an in-house inquiry because you did not succeed before the bench," he said.

The petitioner then explained the background of the case, stating, "But Justice Gogoi dismissed my plea relying on the statement which I had challenged for being illegal. I had no fault, I had requested CJI Thakur to move my review plea before a bench conversant with labour laws... but that did not happen and it was dismissed."

After a brief discussion in Marathi, Chief Justice Chandrachud instructed the petitioner to remove retired Justice Gogoi's name from the petition. "The registry will look at the petition," he added.