Supreme Court Rebukes Lawyer For Suicide Threat; Seeks Written Apology

A lawyer arguing a criminal case in the Supreme Court on Monday issued a suicide threat, warning he would take his own life if the court rejected his plea.

Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan directed the lawyer to submit a written apology by 7 March, warning of potential repercussions if he failed to comply.

Posting the matter for 7 March, the bench observed, “Today in the morning when the petition (Ramesh Kumaran and another v State Through The Inspector of Police And Another) called. The first petitioner (Ramesh Kumaran), a member of the Bar, appeared through the VC and said if the FIR against respondent number 2 is quashed, he will commit suicide. This shocks us. We expect him to tender an unconditional apology.”

Reacting to the lawyer’s statement, Justice Oka questioned, “How can you threaten the court that you will commit suicide if we dont allow your prayer? You are a lawyer. We will ask the Bar Council to suspend your license and register an FIR.”

The lawyer then abruptly disconnected his video link, prompting Justice Oka to remark, “Now, he has left,” before adjourning the hearing.

Lawyer Reappears & Apologizes

The bench instructed another lawyer present in the courtroom to apologize on behalf of the advocate.

Later, when the case recalled, the lawyer reappeared via video conferencing and offered an apology, saying, “My sincere apologies. I got emotional.”

However, Justice Oka insisted on a written apology by 7 March, stating, “No, we want a written apology by Friday (7 March).”

While the court clarified that it was not compelling the lawyer to apologize, it warned of consequences if he failed to comply.

The case was related to a criminal matter involving one Ragavendran, with cross FIRs filed by both sides. Further details were unavailable as the concerned advocates were not reachable for comments.

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