SC orders Jharkhand lawyer to file unconditional apology over viral spat

The Supreme Court on Friday, January 23, 2026, asked Jharkhand-based lawyer Mahesh Tiwari to tender an unconditional apology before the High Court in a suo motu contempt proceeding that arose from a viral courtroom exchange in which he allegedly told a judge, 'Don’t cross the limit.' A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi disposed of the petition, granting Tiwari the liberty to file an unconditional apology before a five-judge High Court Bench that had issued a contempt notice against him in October last year. The top court requested the High Court to consider the apology sympathetically.

During the hearing, senior advocate Siddharth Dave, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that Tiwari was 'extremely repentant' and willing to render an unconditional apology. However, the Bench expressed stern reservations about the conduct that led to the contempt notice, underscoring concerns over courtroom decorum and the need to uphold professional standards. The Chief Justice remarked on what he described as the lawyer’s 'obstinate character' and urged that he face the judges to explain himself, noting that the judiciary knows how to deal with such situations. Justice Bagchi echoed the concern that friction and pride can erode decorum at all levels of the judiciary. The court's order leaves open the possibility that the apology, once submitted to the High Court, may be viewed sympathetically in light of the circumstances described by the petitioner and his counsel.

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