In cases where parties know the truth, ‘judge is on trial’: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court, in a judgment authored by Justice Vikram Nath, criticized both a litigant and her former lawyer for their lack of candor and for manufacturing and prolonging a dispute, observing that in such cases, "it is the judge who is on trial." The case involved a woman accusing a lawyer of professional misconduct for allegedly acting against her interests in a sexual assault case against a police officer. The Bar Council of India (BCI) had previously removed the lawyer from rolls for two years. The Supreme Court, finding both parties at fault for wasting judicial time, directed them to pay ₹5 lakh each in costs.