The exchange happened during an oral mentioning by Mr. Bhatia to de-tag Mr. Gandhi’s plea against criminal proceedings arising from his alleged remarks concerning the Army and the Chinese attack in the context of the 2020 Galwan clash.
Mr. Bhatia alleged the case was not being listed due to the “person mentioned”, and he should not be treated like a “VVIP”. He said Mr. Gandhi’s side was indulging in “dilatory tactics” to avoid a hearing.
“All parties are treated equally here,” Chief Justice Kant addressed Mr. Bhatia.
The Bench advised Mr. Bhatia to submit an application for de-tagging of the case.
The court had earlier stayed proceedings against Mr. Gandhi in the case based on a complaint filed by a retired Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officer, Uday Shankar Shrivastava, before a Lucknow Magistrate court in August 2023. The Lucknow court had issued summons to the Congress leader in February 2025.
Mr. Gandhi’s appeal to quash the summons had been declined by the Allahabad High Court in May 2025, compelling Mr. Gandhi to approach the Supreme Court in a special leave petition.