The Delhi High Court found itself confronting an unexpected spectacle when a seasoned advocate entered the courtroom with a strip of red tape sealing his lips—an act he described as a symbolic protest against being “cut off” during earlier hearings.
The episode unfolded during proceedings in a contempt matter linked to a writ petition filed by Nand Kishore. As the judges took their seats and the case was called, the advocate appeared with the tape across his mouth, prompting the Bench to momentarily wonder if he had suffered an injury.
What followed was a tense exchange. When asked about the tape, the lawyer declared that he was demonstrating how he felt “silenced” in previous hearings. The Bench—comprising Justices Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Anish Dayal—was far from amused.
The judges reminded him that any earlier interruptions were not an attempt to muzzle him but a necessary intervention: his submissions had become long-winded and repetitive, and the court needed to hear the other side. The symbolic protest, the Bench observed, crossed the boundaries of propriety expected from someone with decades at the Bar.
Their order left no ambiguity: the gesture was “completely in poor taste,” “unbecoming,” and far removed from the dignity expected in a courtroom. While the judges noted they could have initiated action against him, they chose restraint solely because of his seniority.
The matter now stands adjourned to January 21, 2026.
