Amid rising tension in courtrooms, Bombay High Court Justices Ravindra Ghuge and Abhay Mantri spoke about the increasing stress faced by judges.They also urged lawyers to maintain respect for the judicial system while representing their clients.

The judges made these remarks while hearing petitions filed by trustees Prashant Mehta and Charu Mehta challenging an order passed by the Joint Charity Commissioner in the Lilavati Hospital dispute. During the hearing, the bench also referred to allegations of misconduct by staff in the Charity Commissioner’s office and noted that similar incidents sometimes happen in their own court as well.

Justice Ghuge said that judges sometimes scold lawyers, but that does not mean they are against them.

“Judges Don’t Hold Grudges”
“We scold lawyers also at times. Does it mean we are against them? In the very next matter, that same lawyer will walk out with an interim order from my court. We don't carry anything home,” Justice Ghuge remarked, stressing that judges do not hold personal grudges after hearings.

He added that judges leave their work in court and do not take it home.“If we carried everything home with us as baggage, by now we would have been in the hospital. (Surely not in Lilavati Hospital!). The pressure is huge on this side,” the judge said.

Justice Ghuge also referred to concerns recently raised by Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava about the stress faced by judges. “It is taking a toll on our health. Fortunately for me, because many of you have known me for a long time, I don’t carry anything at home. Otherwise, can you imagine what would have happened?” he said.

Call For Respect Towards Judges
He also asked lawyers to show empathy towards judges who are under heavy pressure. “Respect them. You go before them and say, ‘Please, sir’, and then you say, ‘No, my lord is…’ You can’t do that. Trust them. Put your written notes. The best thing in such situations is put your written notes before the court so that he cannot say you didn’t argue this, you didn’t argue that,” Justice Ghuge added.

Background Of The Lilavati Trust Dispute:
The case arises from a dispute in the Lilavati Kirtilal Mehta Medical Trust. The dispute began after former trustee Rajesh Mehta was removed over allegations of financial misconduct and attempts to take control of the Bandra hospital. This led to several cases being filed in the High Court.

Arguments Before the Court:

During the hearing, Senior Advocates Gaurav Joshi and Venkatesh Dhond argued about the procedure the Joint Charity Commissioner should follow. The question was whether the commissioner should first decide issues of locus standi and maintainability before issuing notices under Section 41D of the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act for the possible suspension of trustees over alleged mismanagement.

In conclusion, the bench agreed that the Joint Charity Commissioner would hear all the parties on these issues before making any prima facie decision.