CJI Chandrachud Objects to Karnataka HC Judge’s ‘Pakistan’ Remark: “Can’t Call Any Part of India ‘Pakistan’”
Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud strongly objected to a controversial remark made by Karnataka High Court judge Justice V Srishananda, stating, “You can’t call any part of the territory of India as ‘Pakistan’. It is fundamentally contrary to the territorial integrity of the nation.”
The comment came during a Supreme Court hearing on Wednesday regarding a suo motu case involving the remarks made by Justice Srishananda. The Karnataka HC judge had sparked controversy last week by referring to a Muslim-dominated locality in Bengaluru as ‘Pakistan’. Following backlash, the judge later expressed regret in open court.
The controversy began after two videos of Justice Srishananda went viral on social media. In one clip, he referred to a specific sub-locality in West Bengaluru as “Pakistan.” Another video showed him reprimanding a woman lawyer for answering a question meant for the opposing counsel.
On September 20, a five-judge Supreme Court bench led by CJI Chandrachud took serious note of the videos and requested a report from the Registrar General of the Karnataka High Court. The bench, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant, and Hrishikesh Roy, heard the matter on Wednesday, September 25.
After the Supreme Court’s intervention and the judge’s expression of regret, the Court decided not to pursue the matter further.
