The Delhi High Court recently recorded its “strong displeasure” over the conduct of a lawyer who appeared for a petitioner with a strip of red tape on his lips. The lawyer claimed that it was a symbolic protest against being “stopped midway from arguing in earlier hearings”.
A Bench of Justices Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Anish Dayal, while refraining from taking action against the lawyer, termed the act “unbecoming and unbefitting conduct”.
The incident unfolded on December 1 during the hearing of a contempt petition concerning the allotment of a plot sanctioned in 1987 under the Centre’s 20-Point Programme. The petitioner alleged that he was not allotted the plot originally promised to him.
Advocate R.K. Saini then entered the courtroom “leisurely with red stickfast tape pasted on his lips”.
Questioned by the Bench over the move, Mr. Saini replied that during the last two hearings, he was “stopped midway” in his arguments and the red tape symbolised that he had been “silenced”.
The Bench clarified that on previous occasions, Mr. Saini’s submissions had become “too lengthy and repetitive”. It noted that the conduct could have warranted action, but in view of the lawyer’s standing at the Bar, it would not proceed against him.
The matter will be heard next on January 21, 2026.
Published – December 05, 2025 12:45 am IST
