CJI Surya Kant Refutes Reports Of Refusing To List Plea Against Police Action On Student Protests, Says Media Was Reckless
The Chief Justice said that no writ petition was filed on the issue, and what was mentioned was only a letter representation.
Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant on Friday dismissed as "completely false" media reports that he had refused to list a petition challenging the police action against student protesters, clarifying that no writ petition on the issue had been filed before the Supreme Court.
Addressing the issue in open court, the CJI said that what was mentioned before him was only a letter representation sent by a lawyer, and not a petition instituted before the Court. Saying that a mere representation could not have been treated as a writ petition in the absence of any formal filing, the CJI expressed concern over the reportage, terming it as "irresponsible and reckless",
"In the last two days, a completely false statement was made that a matter was filed, and the media is absolutely free from all responsibility, falsely reporting that the Chief Justice refused to list the matter. Till morning 10 AM, not a single page has been filed. It was one representation... sent by that Mishra or someone. How can I treat the representation as a writ petition? And people start recklessly reporting this," the CJI remarked.
The Chief Justice of India made these remarks when Senior Advocate Shoeb Alam mentioned another matter for listing.
On July 22, Advocate Narendra Mishra had orally mentioned his letter petition addressed to the CJI concerning the police action on student protests. Refusing to entertain the matter, the CJI told him "Don't waste our time, don't waste your time."
When the lawyer said that he has videos showing the police action, the CJI replied, "We are not interested in videos; we don't have time to watch."