New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday orally observed that lawyers should not be involved in a family outburst, while hearing an application in connection with remarks made by the former IPL chairman Lalit Modi against former Attorney General for India Mukul Rohatgi.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal submitted before a bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and M. M. Sundresh that there was an undertaking that there will be no social media comments. Citing a social media post by Modi against Rohatgi, Sibal said, “We have the URLs… it is being breached”. Senior advocate Harish Salve, representing Lalit Modi, said he will show that the undertaking has not been breached.
The bench orally observed that it is nothing but the outburst of a family member and lawyers should not be involved in it. It further added, “Parties are mature enough to understand….remove all this”.
Salve informed the court that Modi’s remarks against Rohatgi were taken down. The bench said it is not passing any order in this matter and asked Salve to use his good offices to sort it out. Salve said it was an angry outburst and now Lalit Modi’s son is leading the meditation.
The bench noted, “whenever you start to fight like this in the public, it is always detrimental to both parties in any litigation. It only leads to retaliation in a similar manner”.
The bench further added the legal battle is entirely separate, “but do not involve the lawyers…”.
After hearing arguments, the top court declined to pass any order on the remarks made by Lalit Modi against Rohatgi on social media, and listed the Modi family dispute for hearing in July.
On January 19, the apex court agreed to examine a plea alleging former IPL chairman Lalit Modi made some “scurrilous” remarks in a social media post against former Attorney General and senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud saying that Modi has made scurrilous allegations against Rohatgi.
Sibal said in this matter, there is a family dispute, the Modi family dispute and there was an undertaking given before the court that no statements will be made on social media but scurrilous statements have been made against my colleague. “This cannot be allowed, it is a violation of the court’s order…”, said Sibal.
The top court had then asked Sibal to give the paper book. “We will keep the IA (interim application) on board before an appropriate bench next Friday,” said the bench.
In August last year, the apex court had appointed former top court judge Justice R.V. Raveendran as a mediator to settle the family property dispute involving the former IPL head and his mother Bina Modi, wife of late industrialist K K Modi. Rohatgi is one of the lawyers representing Bina Modi in the dispute.
In an Instagram post, Modi had made some comments against Rohatgi. However, later in another post he reportedly apologised to the senior advocate. On January 13, speaking to IANS on Modi’s Instagram post, Rohatgi said, “It is rubbish” and he does not want to comment on it.
Lalit Modi had moved the apex court challenging the Delhi High Court judgment that the anti-arbitration injunction lawsuit filed by Bina Modi against her son is maintainable.
(IANS)
