‘Learn To Be Detached’: Supreme Court Tells Pawan Khera’s Lawyer As Plea Over PM Modi Remarks Is Adjourned

The bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe was scheduled to hear the plea.

The case stems from Khera referring to Prime Minister Modi as “Narendra Gautamdas Modi” instead of “Narendra Damodardas Modi” during a press conference in 2023.

At the outset, counsel appearing for the State of Uttar Pradesh informed the bench that a letter seeking adjournment had been moved.

Appearing for Khera, counsel urged the Court to take up the matter, submitting that it had been urgent “from day one” and requesting that it be listed on Friday. She also pointed out that Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi was appearing in the matter and that the issue had been mentioned before the Court on the previous date.

As counsel repeatedly pressed for the matter to be taken up, Justice Narasimha told her: “First of all, learn to be detached.”

The Court further told the lawyer: “As a lawyer, you should be detached. Don’t get personally involved.”

The counsel apologised, saying, “I agree, My Lord.”

She thereafter requested the Court to pass an order regarding listing, pointing out that the bench had earlier asked her to mention the matter on Monday.

The Court, however, said: “All right, all right. We’ll tell you, we’ll list it up some other day.”

The matter was accordingly adjourned to another date.

Notably, January 2024, the Supreme Court had refused to quash FIRs registered against Khera. "Apology after apology.. You cannot wish away an offence. Sorry, we are not inclined.", said a bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had further told the bench that the trial had to go on.

In 2023, in some relief to the congress leader, Supreme Court had clubbed all FIRs filed against him to Hazratganj police station at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

A counter affidavit was also filed by the State of Uttar Pradesh stating that Khera was seeking indulgence of the Supreme Court to stall due investigations into deliberate utterances of defamatory words relating to one of the highest Constitutional functionaries of this Country.

"At the outset it is most humbly submitted that the relief which survives for consideration by this Hon'ble Court is limited to clubbing and consolidation of all FIRs, lodged pursuant to the deliberate attempt of the petitioner to denigrate a constitutional functionary, in one jurisdiction", the affidavit added.

Notably, an FIR was registered against Khera on the ground that he had hurt sentiments of people of the Country as he had deliberately ridiculed the late father of the Prime Minister of India.

The FIR adds that the name of the late father of the Prime Minister had deliberately been uttered as Gautam Das by Khera and he had further deliberately and sarcastically stated that though the name is 'Damodar Das' but his work is similar to that of 'Gautam Das'.