The Gujarat High Court judge on Wednesday issued a public apology after engaging in a heated exchange with a fellow judge in an open courtroom, caused by their disagreement regarding a case.
Justice Vaishnav issued a public apology to Judge Bhatt in the presence of court staff and lawyers on Wednesday. “The events of Monday should not have transpired, and I acknowledge my error. I am deeply sorry for what occurred. As we commence this new session, I must emphasize that such incidents should not have taken place. I don’t know… I was mistaken,” Justice Vaishnav said.
On Monday, October 23, a contentious argument unfolded between Justice Biren Vaishnav and Justice Mauna Bhatt in the Gujarat High Court. Justice Vaishnav, the presiding senior judge, became displeased when Justice Bhatt expressed her disagreement by quietly murmuring in his ear. A video clip of the incident, which has since circulated on social media, captures Justice Vaishnav issuing an order in a case.
Justice Bhatt, on the other hand, appeared to hold a dissenting view from Justice Vaishnav and conveyed her disagreement through a whispered comment. This prompted a strong reaction from Justice Vaishnav, who urged her to issue a “differing order.”
“Express your disagreement, my friend. You’ve shown dissent in one case, so do the same here,” Justice Vaishnav advised the junior judge.
In response, Justice Bhatt stated, “It’s not about dissenting.”
Justice Vaishnav then replied, “In that case, issue a different order. Avoid murmuring.”
Following this, Justice Vaishnav stood up and exited the courtroom, announcing that the bench would not be entertaining any additional cases.
Following this heated argument, the live-streamed video of the said bench was removed from YouTube. The Gujarat High Court’s YouTube channel usually broadcasts proceedings from all benches.
Moreover, according to the links provided for Wednesday’s hearings on YouTube, it appears that Justice Vaishnav is no longer presiding alongside Justice Bhatt. Instead, Justice Bhargav Karia has taken her place. However, there is no official notification on the High Court’s website concerning this alteration in the bench composition.
This incident bears a stark resemblance to a similar incident in the Supreme Court in January 2016, when Justices MY Eqbal and Arun Mishra engaged in an altercation over a case.