Lawyer ML Jishnu appeared shirtless before the Supreme Court on Tuesday only to be reprimanded by the Court. “Even after seven-eight months you are so reckless,” admonished the Court, according to Livelaw. The court's reprimand to the lawyer came during the hearing of a suo motu matter pertaining to the transmission of the coronavirus in Children Protection Homes. The hearing was via video conferencing when the lawyer appeared shirtless.
A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao was hearing the matter. Justice Rao reprimanded the advocate saying, “What is this even after 7-8 months, how can you be so reckless?"
This is the second such instance in the past two months of a lawyer appearing without wearing a shirt before the Supreme Court. In October too, a lawyer appeared before the apex court shirtless. During that hearing, the presiding judge of the bench Justice DY Chandrachud expressed his displeasure stating that some decorum has to be maintained.
The judge had also stated that the incident was an affront to the court. He said that despite hearings taking place via video conferencing, the lawyers needed to be extra cautious as the court was still functioning full-fledged and in a regular manner.
In June this year a lawyer appeared before the court while lying on his bed wearing a t-shirt. Following this Justice S Ravindra Bhat had dictated in an order that counsels appearing before the court should be presentable and avoid showing images which are not appropriate and can only be tolerable in the privacy of their homes.
Justice Bhat while accepting an unconditional apology of the advocate announced that given the public nature of hearings there was a need to follow a minimum court etiquette.