India celebrated its much awaited festival of colours, Holi, almost a week ago. The festival got a special mention during courtroom proceedings in the Supreme Court and has even made Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud laugh.
A candid conversation between CJI DY Chandrachud and Senior Advocate Dinesh Dwivedi during the Supreme Court nine-judge bench hearing has grabbed the attention of many. Appearing for the court proceedings after Holi, Senior Advocate apologised to the court for his colourful hair because of the festival. He expressed that it was the disadvantage of having a lot of kids and grandkids around.
Listening to the brief justification, the Chief Justice asked if the situation has anything to do with alcohol. Agreeing with the question, Senior Advocate Dinesh Dwivedi said that Holi means partly alcohol and that he must confess that he is a fan of whiskey.
Meanwhile, in another courtroom exchange, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta recited renowned Indian poet Mirza Ghalib’s ode to alcohol which too made Chief Justice DY Chandrachud laugh. Mentioning that when Mirza Ghalib was old, he used to drink a lot, Solicitor General recited a poem where the poet expresses that even if he cannot hold a glass of alcohol, he can drink it with his eyes.
Though courts usually have serious settings, occasionally they too witness lighter moments. This is not the first time that Solicitor General Tushar Mehta recited Mirza Ghalib’s poem. Earlier, when Tushar Mehta recited a poem, CJI Chandrachud asked him to put the couplet into legal parlance. The Chief Justice said that in legal parlance, lawyers read between the lines.
In response, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that those who write couplets, they don’t write for legal documentations. He added that they write for some particular person, for one individual and that one individual is relevant to them.