10 may 2022
“It’s very unfortunate:” The Supreme Court condemns Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi’s abrupt departure from a virtual hearing.
The Supreme Court criticized Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi on Monday for quitting a virtual hearing in the middle.
The behavior of Senior Counsel described as “extremely terrible” by a bench of Justices MR Shah and BV Nagarathna.
Hearings before the Bench proceeding regularly when a junior counsel requested; a pass over in a matter because Rohatgi, who scheduled to attend, not in court. Rohatgi appeared electronically and gave remarks after Justice Shah refused the request.
After the respondents’ closing arguments, the Bench inquired if Rohatgi, who represented the petitioner, any counter arguments.
The Court, however, unable to detect; the Senior Advocate on screen, forcing his subordinate to request a pass over.
The Bench, which about to reserve its decision in the matter, said that; the senior lawyer’s actions were “very regrettable.”
The same recorded in the order, which stated,
“We wished to ask the learned Senior Counsel for the petitioner some more questions after; the learned counsel appearing on behalf of the respondents ended their remarks. However, the petitioner’s learned Senior Advocate, Mr. Mukul Rohatgi, departed the Court in the middle of arguments while the case still being heard. This is a terrible situation.”
The Bench also ruled in the decision that he should not have left the hearing while it ongoing.
“Even if he necessary for another Court, he should have obtained the Court’s permission,” the Bench said while deferring the decision.
On Monday, at Court No 3, presided over by Justice AM Khanwilkar, similar circumstances occurred when the court was unable to find Rohatgi in a case involving a challenge to the IT Rules, 2021.
As a result, the Bench concluded that; virtual hearings should not be used for admission hearings and should instead be reserved for final hearings.
“Hybrid hearing does not operate effectively,” said the Bench, which included Justice Abhay S Oka.
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