Andhra Courtroom Video Triggers Concern Over Judicial Temperament; Vikas Singh Calls for Training Reforms

Following an incident from the Andhra Pradesh High Court wherein a young lawyer was directed to be taken into judicial custody for 24 hours by a judge, Senior Advocate and Supreme Court Bar Association President Vikas Singh told Supreme Court today that judicial training is required on the issue.

A CJI Surya Kant led bench today took up the case registered over the incident. CJI Kant observed in court that as per a report from the Chief Justice of the High Court, the direction to take the young lawyer into custody was merely an oral observation and not included in the order.

Senior Advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for the Supreme Court Bar Association, agreed with the CJI and said that the young lawyer did not eventually end up in jail. However, Singh called for some judicial sensitization of the issue. "There should be some internal in-house training..the behavior should be that you encourage the younger members of the Bar," he said.

In response, CJI said, "We are sensitizing the judiciary at every level on how they should encourage younger members of the bar".

Putting an end to the issue, CJI Surya Kant relied on a report received from the Chief Justice of the high court which revealed that the exchange resulted from disagreement between judge and the counsel about a precedent. "The situation escalated when the judge formed an opinion that the counsel out of frustration struck his file on the podium while the counsel explained that the file actually slipped. The chief justice has observed that the video clip is bereft of context capturing limited portion of proceeding and that issue could be resolved among concerned parties prior to the clip being circulated on social media," CJI noted.

As per the report, the chief justice had also interacted with the counsel and affirmed that the misunderstanding was resolved and no complaint was lodged with the bar council. Andhra Pradesh High Court Bar association also stated before the High Court's CJ that matter was amicably settled. The most important and positive content of the letter reveals that young counsel harbours no fear in carrying out his profession.

"The High Court's Chief justice has formed a committee of 5 judges to maintain cordial relations between bench and the bar. The incident does not warrant any further action at our end," the CJI said.

Notably, CJI Kant also observed that members of judiciary at all levels must exhibit compassion towards all, especially young members of the bar. While it is certainly solemn duty of senior members of bar to inculcate discipline, professional ethics and continuous learning, the responsibility does not lie with bar alone, but it's with the bench as well which fosters a sense of duty, integrity so that every lawyer sees themselves as an officer of the court first, he added.

While concluding the issue, the CJI said, "Judiciary must remain mindful of the fact that strength and caliber of the bench at all levels is dependent upon continuous nurturing and development of bar. We make an unequivocal observation that media has an important role to play. Sensationalising decontextualized clips has the ability to hamper adminstration of justice. Thus, we expect media will play a proactive role with heightened sense of responsibility in collaboration with Bar & Bench"

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) had recently expressed “deep concern and shock” over a reported incident dated May 5, 2026 in the Andhra Pradesh High Court, where a young advocate was allegedly directed to be taken into judicial custody for 24 hours during court proceedings.

The incident occurred before Justice Tarlada Rajasekhar Rao and has since triggered widespread discussion within the legal fraternity after video clips of the proceedings surfaced on social media.

According to the SCBA, the footage showed the advocate repeatedly expressing regret and seeking pardon before the Court. The Association noted that the episode has caused concern among members of the Bar across the country and has particularly unsettled young members of the legal profession. Reiterating foundational principles governing the justice system, the SCBA said the relationship between the Bench and the Bar rests on mutual respect, dignity, patience, and institutional balance. While emphasising that courts must maintain authority and decorum, it stressed that judicial power must also reflect restraint, proportionality, fairness, and compassion, especially when dealing with young lawyers still in the early stages of practice.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant had also sought a report from the Andhra Pradesh High Court administration. The controversy stems from a hearing held on May 4. During the proceedings, Justice Rao reportedly rebuked the advocate appearing for the petitioner, criticising his conduct and questioning his professional standing. A video clip of the exchange, which has since circulated widely, shows the advocate apologising and pleading for leniency, stating that he was unwell and “begging for grace.” Despite this, the judge directed police personnel to take him into custody for 24 hours.

Case Title: SCBA vs. High Court of Andhra Pradesh Tags

Bench: CJI Kant and Justice Bagchi

Hearing Date: May 11, 2026