Gopal Sankaranarayanan Withdraws from Delhi Protest Cases in Supreme Court

Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan withdrew from seven Delhi protest-related cases in the Supreme Court on Thursday, telling his clients he would no longer appear in the matters after a disorderly hearing before a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. The move, confirmed directly to Bar and Bench, has turned a spotlight on courtroom decorum in some of the most sensitive public-interest litigation currently before the apex court.

Gopal Sankaranarayanan: what happened in the CJI’s courtroom

Sankaranarayanan told Bar and Bench that he had been repeatedly interrupted during his arguments and that the bench had failed to keep order. He said matters were taken up without following the serial-number order, adding to the disorder in the courtroom.

The microphone incident

According to Navbharat Times, a senior woman lawyer appearing on his own side allegedly snatched the microphone from him when he tried to make a further submission. Sankaranarayanan walked out of the courtroom before the hearing had ended, then informed his clients that he would not appear in the cases going forward.

Gopal Sankaranarayanan’s stated reason

In his own words to Bar and Bench: “The bench failed to control the court. I cannot work like this. The dignity of the court is more important.” Hindustan reports that he had arrived fully prepared with notes and briefs for the seven matters assigned to him, but said preserving the dignity of the court mattered more than his continued presence in the cases.

Why Gopal Sankaranarayanan quit the protest cases

The withdrawal came amid a hearing marked by sharp exchanges. During the same proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta asked the other side to stop shouting at the court, while senior advocate Indira Jaising dismissed the episode as drama staged for the media, as reported by Navbharat Times.

The cases themselves arise from protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to Hindustan, the bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi heard around 46 petitions concerning alleged police brutality, illegal detentions, restrictions on movement, journalists’ rights, and the de-notification of Jantar Mantar as a protest site.

The Delhi protest cases: what the bench decided

Despite the disruption, the hearing produced substantive directions, Bar and Bench reports. The bench issued notices to the Centre and Delhi Police on several of the petitions and directed investigating agencies to preserve CCTV footage and other digital evidence.

Nodal counsel and the October deadline

The bench appointed nodal counsel for both sides and directed them to categorise the similar petitions by 28 October, so that separate counter-affidavits can be filed for each category. The main protest-related petitions will next be heard on 3 November.

What happens next after Gopal Sankaranarayanan’s withdrawal

With nodal counsel now in place, the cases will move forward without Sankaranarayanan at the podium. The October categorisation deadline means the shape of the litigation will become clearer within a fortnight, and the November hearing will be the first full test of how the court manages one of the largest batches of protest-related petitions it has heard this year.

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For more legal stories with a public-interest angle, see our earlier Law and Government coverage of the Gyoza no Ohsho acquittal.

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