New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Commissioner of Delhi Police to ensure the personal appearance of advocate Mukut Nath Verma, who is accused of making what the court described as “scandalous and frivolous” allegations against sitting judges of the apex court and members of the committee overseeing the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) elections.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi was informed that the Delhi Police had failed to execute bailable warrants earlier issued against Verma. The submission was made by SCBA President and senior advocate Vikas Singh, along with senior lawyer Vijay Hansaria, who heads the election committee appointed by the court.
The matter arises from a petition filed in 2023 by the SCBA seeking reforms within the association. During earlier hearings, the court had taken serious note of a complaint lodged by Verma at the Tilak Marg police station, in which he allegedly levelled baseless allegations against members of the court-appointed election panel.
The bench had previously directed Verma to appear in person before the court on May 29, 2025, warning that coercive steps would follow in case of non-compliance. Although Verma joined the proceedings via video conferencing on that date, the court insisted on his physical presence, following which bailable warrants were issued.
As the police reported that Verma could not be traced, the court has now instructed the Delhi Police Commissioner to ensure his presence before the bench on February 23 by adopting lawful coercive measures.
During the hearing, the bench also asked SCBA Secretary Pragya Baghel to compile and present suggestions received from the bar body, retired Supreme Court judge Justice L N Rao, and Vijay Hansaria in a tabular format to assist the court in issuing appropriate directions.
Hansaria proposed extending the tenure of elected SCBA office-bearers from the current one year to two years, similar to the practice followed by the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association. Vikas Singh suggested giving greater weight to physical appearances of advocates before Supreme Court benches while determining voter eligibility, with the aim of filtering out non-genuine members.
The bench said it would examine the collated recommendations and issue directions at the next hearing.
