By IANS
New Delhi : A noted lawyer arguing a petition on genetically modified food and crops before Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan’s bench lost his cool Wednesday but the judges advised him restraint and let him continue.
Prashant Bhushan lost temper during the hearing of a petition challenging the government’s allegedly liberalised norms that allow multinational companies to conduct open-field trials of genetically modified food and crops that many argue pose a grave risk to environment.
He was angry when the bench, which also included Justice R.V. Raveendran and Justice J.M. Panchal, said: “It is not clear which petition is concerned with the pressure group” opposed to genetically modified food.
“It’s a heavily technical matter. It should be best left to be dealt with by technical people,” it observed, referring to the technicalities of the process of the field trials.
The bench made the observation when Bhushan was arguing on behalf of his client, Aruna Rodrigues.
Bhushan was not happy with the term “pressure group”, which can imply a vested interest. He said, “In that case, I will not argue the matter. You pass whatever order you deem fit.”
Saying this, Bhushan stopped his argument, banged papers in his hand on the desk and took a seat in the back row of the courtroom.
None of the judges on the bench, however, lost his cool. Showing magnanimity, Justice Raveendran said: “Losing temper will neither help the cause of the justice or the cause you are espousing.”
“May be you lost temper because you are emotionally involved with the issue, but this kind of tantrum will not help. As a professional lawyer, you must keep your emotions in check,” Justice Raveendran counselled Bhushan.
“You are still not your father,” Justice Raveendran observed, referring to the legendary legal and constitutional expertise of Shanti Bhushan, a former law minister.
Bhushan then took to his feet, came forward and expressed regrets. “Some time one loses control over oneself. I don’t know how I lost control though it’s quite unlike me. I’m sorry,” said Bhushan, before resuming his arguments.