Unhappy memories

Arguments in the Supreme Court have become noisy and acrimonious lately, prompting Chief Justice of India T S Thakur to chide lawyers for lowering the dignity of the institution. However, history repeated itself last Friday when scores of petitions challenging demonetisation were argued before him by senior lawyers. The courtroom was as crowded as a bank entrance these days and the arguing lawyers outshouted each other, reminding one of night time TV debates. The scene prompted the judge to give a 10-minute sermon on court etiquette. He regretted that when he would retire after a year-end recess, he would carry unhappy memories of such scenes. A few weeks ago, the Bar association president compared the court scenes to a fish market. Perhaps this is one reason why judges are against telecasting court proceedings. Telecast of Parliament debates are bad enough for the moment.