New Delhi: Attorney General KK Venugopal wants India's Supreme Court to follow Pakistan’s top court — at least in one aspect.
The top law officer wants a podium at the centre of the courtroom so that only one lawyer gets to argue at a time. Venugopal said he finds it completely inappropriate when many lawyers speak at the same time in the Supreme Court.
“Let us also follow Pakistan’s Supreme Court. There is one podium at the centre and so only one lawyer argues at one time. Unlike here, where 10 lawyers talk at the same time and you get to understand nothing,” said the senior lawyer.
The AG was appearing for the Union of India in a batch of petitions that challenged the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal opened the argument but several other lawyers jumped the queue, and stated speaking together. This irked Venugopal: "This could be the only court where so many lawyers speak together. It doesn't happen anywhere else."
At this, Chief Justice of India SA Bobde retorted: "We don't know if it happens in any other court or not." Venugopal replied: "Pakistan's Supreme Court… I was there and it doesn't happen there. They have a podium there. Only one lawyer argues."
The AG added that the situation in high courts is also far better. "The same lawyers who go to high courts are disciplined. They conduct themselves differently but as soon as they come here, they all speak at the same time."
The CJI said he can't say who should be emulated but he has been repeatedly asking lawyers to not speak at the same time. "It is for them to give it a thought now that you have also spoken," said Justice Bobde.
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