In cases where parties know the truth, ‘judge is on trial’: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of India issued a critical judgment regarding a dispute between a litigant and her former lawyer, noting that the court process is not a tool for settling personal scores. The bench emphasized that when parties suppress facts, the integrity of the judicial process is compromised.
Why it matters
This ruling serves as a stern warning against the misuse of the legal system and highlights the ethical obligations of legal professionals toward their clients.
The Supreme Court began a 15-page judgment concerning a bitter tussle between a litigant and her former lawyer with the observation that in a trial in which the parties already know the truth, “it is the judge who is on trial".
A Bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath, who authored the recent verdict, observed that neither party in the dispute had been candid but confidently expected vindication from the court.
Justice Nath said the Bench had to burn the midnight oil to “prise out” every fact of consequence from the records in a case in which suppression, embellishment and afterthought were the common currency of both sides.
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