New Delhi: Senior Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan has questioned the judiciary’s “code of conduct” after the participation of several lawyers and judges at the second edition of the International Bar and Bench Badminton Championship in London. Bhushan asked who was paying for the expenses even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for austerity amid the West Asia crisis.
“The law ministry should stay away from such tournaments. It’s not right to indulge in such activities. Such a tournament involving judges is not right,” he told ThePrint. “This event, along with its corporate sponsorship, sends an inappropriate message to India.”
Among the notable dignitaries who attended and participated in the tournament were Allahabad High Court justices Avnish Saxena and Tej Pratap Tiwari, former additional solicitor general of India Pinky Anand, former Vice President of the Delhi High Court Bar Association Jatan Singh, and the BJP’s Kurukshetra Lok Sabha MP Naveen Jindal.
Questioning the rationale for such a heavily backed event, especially when citizens are constantly told to reduce spending abroad, Bhushan added that such a high-level tournament violates the “judiciary’s code of conduct”.
Others also criticised the move.
Retired wing commander Anuma Acharya questioned why countrymen were asked not to go abroad, but judges and ministers were sent to “escape India’s scorching heat, all on the public’s tax money.”
“Who is fooling whom—we’re not the only ones who can see it, everyone can—but PM Modi thinks the people of the country are complete fools and doesn’t even want to stop this kind of wasteful spending from government funds,” she posted on X.
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‘Claim is factually incorrect and misleading’
Several viral videos circulated on social media alleging that Union Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal and Chief Justice of India Surya Kant were in London to participate in the championship along with 75 Indian judges.
In response, the Ministry of Law and Justice and the PIB Fact Check Unit refuted these claims as completely fake.
“The claim is factually incorrect and misleading. Old photos are being circulated in support of the misleading statements. On 7 June, when the second edition of the bar and bench badminton tournament was organised, Meghwal was in Bikaner,” it had said.
Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju also clarified that the photos and videos which went viral were from a promotional event for fitness and sports, which took place last year.
“Who’s spreading the fake news that Judges have gone to London to play Badminton? There is a regular badminton event for Bar & Bench in Delhi. There’s a conspiracy to malign Judiciary & important institutions of India,” he posted on X.
In a separate post, Rijiju asked whether the fake news peddlers would be in trouble if he decided to take legal action.
“Their fake news are available in YouTube and other social media platforms. Freedom of expression is not Freedom to spread fake news to defame others shamelessly,” he added.
The 7 June event in London, organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Law and Justice, was hosted by solicitor advocate Harjot Singh, Director of Twinwood Law Practice, London and Abantika Deka, a former badminton player. Organisers described the tournament as an effort to strengthen ties within the legal community in India and the UK.
Just weeks ago, PM Modi urged Indians to postpone non-essential foreign travel and overseas destination weddings to help with India’s foreign exchange reserves and reduce the economic strain in the country. Speaking at a public rally in Secunderabad on 10 May, he insisted that these lifestyle sacrifices are patriotic measures to shield the economy from global supply chain disruptions and rising crude oil prices.
(Edited by Stela Dey)