In Brief

The Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of an order dated 17 July 2024 by a Punjab and Haryana High Court judge containing critical observations about Supreme Court orders. The Court held that such gratuitous remarks, wholly unnecessary to the judicial proceedings, undermine judicial authority and violate the hierarchical discipline binding all judges. The Supreme Court expunged the offending observations while exercising restraint by declining to issue formal notice to the judge. The Court reaffirmed that judicial hierarchy imposes mandatory discipline: judges must comply with superior court orders as a constitutional obligation, and personal disagreement is irrelevant. The judgment emphasizes that in an era of live-streamed proceedings, judges must exercise heightened responsibility to protect the sanctity of the judicial process.

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