Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, on Monday, strongly reprimanded a petitioner for using informal language during court proceedings, underscoring the importance of maintaining decorum in the courtroom. The CJI expressed his disapproval when the petitioner responded with “yeah” instead of “yes.”

“Don’t say ‘yeah’, say ‘yes’. This is not a coffee shop, this is a court,” CJI Chandrachud said during the hearing, as reported by Bar and Bench. He further added, “I am a little allergic to people saying ‘yeah’.”

The incident occurred during a hearing where the petitioner, who was representing himself, sought an in-house inquiry against former Chief Justice of India, Justice Ranjan Gogoi. The litigant claimed that Justice Gogoi had wrongfully dismissed his petition regarding his termination from service, alleging gross errors in the judgment.

CJI Chandrachud expressed surprise at the petitioner’s plea to include a former CJI as a respondent in a public interest litigation (PIL), stating, “How can you file a PIL with the judge as a respondent? There has to be some dignity. You cannot just say I want an in-house inquiry against a judge because you did not succeed before the bench.”

The petitioner argued that his review petition had been wrongfully dismissed. In response, the CJI reminded him that the Supreme Court’s judgment is final. “Right or wrong, there is a final judgment by the Supreme Court. Your review has been dismissed. Now you have to file a curative, but you say you don’t want to file a curative,” the CJI added.

The exchange is reminiscent of another incident earlier this month during the hearing of the Kolkata rape and murder case, where CJI Chandrachud admonished a lawyer for raising his voice in court. “Lower your pitch. You are addressing three judges, not a large audience on the video conferencing platform,” the CJI remarked during that proceeding.