Lawyer hurls abuses, flings case file in Supreme Court; security removes him as bench reacts with “sympathy” rather than action

Prabal Pratap creates ruckus before Justices KV Viswanathan and Alok Aradhe after his plea against a Lucknow ACP is turned down; Delhi Police take him for questioning

NewsArc Bureau
New Delhi, July 10, 2026

A lawyer created a major disturbance inside the Supreme Court on Friday, hurling abuses and flinging his case file into the air during a hearing before a bench of Justice K.V. Viswanathan and Justice Alok Aradhe. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant was not present in the courtroom at the time of the incident.

Security personnel, acting on the court’s orders, immediately escorted the lawyer out of the courtroom. Delhi Police subsequently took him away for questioning.

What happened in court

The lawyer has been identified as Prabal Pratap, who had approached the Supreme Court after the Allahabad High Court dismissed his writ petition. His plea challenged a High Court order that had treated his application as a private complaint rather than directing a police investigation.

When the hearing began, the bench asked Pratap whether he would argue the matter himself. In response, he reportedly told the court, “Judicial officer, I direct you to order the registration of an FIR against the ACP of Lucknow.” Justice Viswanathan, visibly taken aback, asked him whether he was issuing an order to the court. Pratap is said to have replied that he had nothing further to add and that everything was on record, before throwing the case file into the air and beginning to hurl abuses.

A brief silence fell over the courtroom before security stepped in and removed him.

Bench expresses “sympathy,” declines to act

Following the incident, Justice Viswanathan remarked that the lawyer appeared to be in considerable distress and that his conduct stemmed from frustration. The bench said it had only sympathy for him and did not wish to initiate any action against him. On the merits of the case, the court noted it found no substantial ground to interfere with the order under challenge.

Bar Council may still act

While the Supreme Court itself has not initiated proceedings against Pratap, the Bar Council retains the power to act independently. Under the Advocates Act, 1961, a lawyer found to have violated professional conduct rules or engaged in misconduct can face disciplinary proceedings. Such matters typically begin with a preliminary inquiry; if the allegations are found to have merit, the case is referred to the Bar Council’s disciplinary committee, which can issue a warning, suspend the lawyer from practice for a period, or have their name removed from the roll of advocates altogether.

A rare pattern of courtroom misconduct

Instances of lawyers raising their voice or making sharp remarks during arguments are not unheard of at the Supreme Court, but episodes of serious misconduct directed at the Chief Justice of India are exceedingly rare. Records point to only two earlier such incidents involving a CJI.

In 1999, advocate Nandlal Balwani threw a shoe at then-CJI A.S. Anand’s bench while raising slogans in the courtroom. The Supreme Court treated the act as criminal contempt and sentenced him to four months in prison along with a fine; since courtroom photography and live broadcasts were not permitted at the time, the episode survives only in court records and news reports.

More recently, on October 6, 2025, a lawyer threw a shoe toward then-CJI B.R. Gavai during a hearing while shouting slogans. The shoe did not hit the CJI, and security personnel detained the accused immediately, after which the Bar Council initiated disciplinary proceedings. The lawyer was heard shouting a slogan about Sanatan Dharma as he was taken away. CJI Gavai had then asked the lawyers present to continue with their arguments, saying he was not perturbed by the incident.