Don’t Make a Political Speech in Court: CJI Tells Lawyer Seeking Listing of Plea Against Collegium System

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Monday cautioned Advocate Mathews Nedumpara against turning court proceedings into a platform for political commentary. The remark came when Nedumpara sought listing of his 2022 petition challenging the collegium system of judicial appointments.

The petition seeks to abolish the collegium system and reinstate the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), which was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015 as unconstitutional.

While mentioning the matter in court, Nedumpara stated: "CJI Chandrachud said it 5 times (to list) ....NJAC is the need of the hour, it has to come. The Vice President has said it, and the people of this country demand it. Your lordship has promised to list it."

To this, CJI Khanna responded:

"Do not put words in my mouth, that's all. Please... do not make a political speech in the court, that's it."

Previously, the Supreme Court Registry had declined to receive the petition, stating that the issues raised had already been addressed in the NJAC verdict. It concluded that filing a writ under Article 32 to re-open the same matter was not maintainable.

The Registry’s decision was based on Order XV Rule 5 of the Supreme Court Rules, 2013, which allows the Registrar to reject petitions that disclose no reasonable cause, appear frivolous, or contain scandalous material. However, the rule gives petitioners the right to appeal such refusal within fifteen days.

Case Title: Shri Mathews J. Nedumpara & Ors. v. Hon’ble The Chief Justice of India & Ors., Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1005 of 2022