The lawyer, Rajeev Yadav, was in court watching the proceedings in court room number 5
Highlights
- Lawyer Rajeev Yadav chanted 'Vande Mataram' at Supreme Court today
- Judges reprimanded him for resorting to slogans inside the courtroom
- Incident occurred during a hearing about the attacks on students, media
A lawyer stunned the Supreme Court today when he shouted "
Vande Mataram"; he later apologised to the judges.
"If this is what happens in the top court, what can we say?" said the judges who were hearing a case about the attacks on Monday outside a Delhi court on reporters and students and teachers from Jawaharlal Nehru University or JNU.
The lawyer, Rajeev Yadav, was in court watching the proceedings in court room number 5
"Remember the oath you took as a lawyer? Should you resort to these kind of things as a lawyer? People have great faith in this institution, please work to protect this institution," remonstrated the judges who included Justice Chalmeshwar and Justice Abhay Sapre.
Vande Mataram, the national song, is described by Muslim groups as non-secular.
On Monday, a group of lawyers thrashed reporters and others who had gathered at a Delhi court ahead of the arrival of JNU student leader, Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested last week on charges of sedition. Some of the lawyers shouted "
Bharat Mata Ki Jai" as they hit journalists, accusing them of working against the interests of the nation by supporting the arrested student; the police did not intervene.
The arrest of Mr Kumar has reignited a row over freedom of expression, with some students and the opposition accusing the government of using an outdated British-era sedition law to clamp down on dissent. However, other students have held counter-demonstrations, labelling JNU students "traitors".