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| - Fact Check: Did CJI walk away while Tushar Mehta was speaking? NO, viral claim is false
India Today Fact Check found that the CJI was just adjusting his chair and the court's proceedings went on for another 20 minutes after that.
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India Today Fact Check
The viral claim is false. In the complete video, it’s visible that the CJI did not walk away and was present for the complete session.
Did Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud walk away while the Solicitor General was presenting his arguments? A video from the Supreme Court hearing on the electoral bonds case was shared with this allegation.
The clip showed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta speaking on the matter. Near the end of the video, while Mehta was still speaking, it appeared as if Chandrachud was about to get up and leave. This is where the video ended.
A Facebook user while sharing the viral clip wrote, “How can the CJI behave in this manner? SG is presenting his arguments before him and without adjourning, he and other judges simply walked away. This is gross humiliation and insult to the Govt of India. All the judges including the CJI Chandrachud, should be hauled up and, forced to resign by the President of India. Totally mannerless and ARROGANT this man Chandrachud is. He and other judges are taking vengeance against the Govt of India.” Its archive can be seen here.
India Today Fact Check found that the viral claims are not true. Neither the CJI nor the other judges walked away in the middle of the Solicitor General’s arguments. The CJI was adjusting his chair and the court was in session for another 20 minutes.
OUR PROBE
Under the viral post, many pointed out that the allegation was false. We noticed that the video featured the logo of Law Today. Based on this, we checked and found it was shared on the news outlet’s X account on March 18. It was taken from the live stream of the apex court’s proceedings inside courtroom number one.
Law Today’s video was the same as the viral clip, even in length. Near its end, Tushar Mehta can be heard saying, “My purpose is to inform you that there is something else that is playing out, something that neither the Supreme Court intended, nor the Electoral Bonds scheme intended."
On the Supreme Court of India’s official YouTube channel, we found the full version of the video. The clip was live-streamed on March 18 and was 47 minutes long.
The viral clip can be seen beginning at the 23-minute mark. At 27 minutes and 4 seconds, the CJI can be seen talking to his colleagues and adjusting his position. This is where Law Today’s clip ended. Watching the complete video, one can see that the CJI did not get up from his chair. After this, Mukul Rohatgi, the Former Attorney-General for India started speaking. The CJI could be seen seated for the remainder of the proceeding.
To further corroborate the facts, we spoke to Delhi-based journalist Awstika Das, the Supreme Court Correspondent at LiveLaw, a legal news portal. Das, who covered the March 18 proceedings, told India Today she was also taken aback when she saw the viral clip. She said, “Having covered the entire hearing, I can confirm that it continued for another twenty minutes or so. The entire proceeding was live-streamed on YouTube. A quick look at the full footage is all it takes to dispel these unfounded and inaccurate claims.”
Thus, it is clear that the viral claim about the CJI walking away is false.
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You can also send us an email at factcheck@intoday.com
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