Muted at Mishra farewell, Dave to skip SC functions

NEW DELHI: Lawyer Dushyant Dave, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), wrote a letter to Chief Justice of India ( CJI) SA Bobde on Wednesday, protesting against how he was treated during a ceremonial farewell for justice Arun Mishra. Dave alleged that although he had been invited by the top court to attend the event through video conferencing and had logged in using a web link sent by the court registry, his microphone was deliberately muted by court officials, preventing him from giving a speech.

It is customary for the president of the SCBA, the representative body of lawyers practising in the Supreme Court, to deliver a speech at farewell functions for top court judges.

The ceremonial function organised by the Supreme Court was the only opportunity for Bar leaders to bid farewell to justice Mishra, who had declined to participate in SCBA’s farewell event saying his conscience did not permit him when the world is reeling under Covid-19.

In his letter, Dave lamented that Supreme Court has reached a stage “where judges are afraid of” lawyers, while reminding that “judges are temporary while the Bar is permanent”.

Supreme Court officials said that there had been no deliberate attempt to mute Dave, calling it a technical glitch that prevented even some judges from connecting to the video conference. Dave maintained that he had connected to the conference and was visible on the screen and had also been able to speak before the bench assembled.

Dave, a vocal critic of the Supreme Court and who has engaged in heated exchanges with justice Mishra on many occasions, said he will not participate in any function organised by the top court until his tenure as the Bar president ends.