Solicitor General Objects To Lawyers Discussing Cases Handled By Them On Public Platforms

During the hearing of ED's plea concerning the I-PAC raid in West Bengal, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta today objected to lawyers speaking on public platforms about cases handled by them.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, who hosts a show on YouTube and has given press conferences on some important matters, countered the SG saying that Court judgments, once pronounced, are public property and can be discussed.

The exchange took place when Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra referred to the Court's newly introduced Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which prescribes strict timelines for oral arguments in all post-notice and regular hearing matters. The judge was suggesting that the same ought to apply to the case at hand as well.

In this backdrop, the SG commented that a circular should be issued to prohibit lawyers from discussing cases handled by them on public forums, like press conferences.

Hearing him, Sibal quipped that the CBI and ED should also not then leak information to journalists of their liking. "There should be a ban on that also", he said. In a lighter vein, Sibal added that the SG is "very upset" at the fact that he does some programme ('Dil Se with Kapil Sibal' on YouTube) and raises the issue in every matter.

Subsequently, the SG clarified that his objection was not regarding Sibal alone, but rather, everyone who gives media interviews, etc. about a case justifying the decision or creating a narrative. "In principle, my learned friend should have no objection because he knows that that's not the law. Once a judgment is delivered, it's public property and this Court has said that once it's public property, it can be discussed. He knows the law but he does not want to reveal that he knows the law", countered Sibal.

In response, the SG said that in the present case, there is no judgment out yet and narrative building is taking place. Senior Advocate Dr AM Singhvi interjected in a lighter vein to say that SG was giving publicity for Sibal's channel.

Case Title: DIRECTORATE OF ENFORCEMENT AND ANR. Versus THE STATE OF WEST BENGAL AND ORS., W.P.(Crl.) No. 16/2026