Young Lawyer Row Reaches Apex Court: Supreme Court Initiates Case Against Andhra Pradesh HC Judge
(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)
The Supreme Court of India has Suo motu taken cognizance of a grave incident at the Andhra Pradesh High Court, wherein Justice Tarlada Rajsekhar Rao directed the immediate police custody of a young advocate during open court proceedings.
Vide an order passed today, the Apex Court has mandated a thorough examination of the matter, prompted by a resolute resolution of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) voicing profound concern and shock.
The controversy erupted on May 5, 2026, amid hearings on a petition impugning a Look Out Circular and the impoundment of a litigant’s passport.
Justice Rao, in a stern reprimand, queried whether the appearing counsel fancied himself a “great Senior Advocate.” A viral video clip captured the advocate’s repeated apologies and entreaties for clemency; hands folded in supplication.
Undeterred, the Bench proceeded to ordain the advocate’s 24-hour custodial detention by police personnel, deeming his demeanour indolent.
Sources indicate the directive was subsequently revoked upon intervention by the Andhra Pradesh High Court Bar Association.
This episode has elicited vehement nationwide bar responses.
In its May 6 resolution, the SCBA lamented that such conduct has “deeply disheartened young members of the legal fraternity,” cautioning that acts engendering fear, humiliation, or intimidation imperil the Bar’s independence and the sanctity of justice delivery.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) has flagged profound apprehensions over judicial temperament, proportionality, and fairness, explicitly finding “nothing amiss” in the young lawyer’s conduct. Echoing this, the Bombay Bar Association’s separate resolution decries the “intimidating, humiliating, and bullying” tenor especially toward junior members asserting it erodes the hallowed bond of friendship, warmth, trust, and confidence between Bar and Bench.
The Association implores the Chief Justice of India to institute measures for judicial sensitization.
