Petitioner sparks courtroom chaos by throwing papers at Supreme Court judges.

On Friday, July 10, 2026, the Supreme Court of India witnessed an unusual and dramatic scene during a court hearing. A petitioner, identified as Prabal Pratap, who was appearing in person to argue his own case, caused a major disturbance in the courtroom, leading to his forced removal by security personnel.

The incident took place before a bench consisting of Justice K.V. Viswanathan and Justice Alok Aradhe.

Mr. Pratap had approached the Supreme Court to challenge an order from the Allahabad High Court, which had refused to interfere with a lower court’s decision to treat his application as a private complaint case rather than ordering an immediate police investigation.

As soon as the hearing began, instead of presenting legal arguments, Mr. Pratap adopted a highly confrontational and aggressive tone. He addressed the judges as "Mr. judicial servant" and demanded they order the police to register an FIR against specific individuals, claiming, "I am the sovereign." When the judges asked him if he was actually trying to order the court, the situation quickly escalated. Without further warning, he threw a large bundle of his case documents into the air, causing them to scatter across the courtroom floor, and shouted abusive language directed at the Chief Justice of India.

Security guards stationed in the courtroom immediately stepped in to restrain Mr. Pratap and escorted him out of the room. Despite this breach of courtroom decorum and the disrespectful behavior toward the bench, the Supreme Court judges remained remarkably calm. Rather than initiating contempt of court proceedings or taking punitive action, they chose to show restraint. Justice Viswanathan noted that the court had "only sympathies" for the petitioner, viewing his outburst as a sign of his personal distress.

Following his removal, the court proceeded to dispose of the matter. After reviewing the case files, the bench concluded that there were no valid grounds to interfere with the earlier High Court order and officially dismissed the petition. This event has drawn comparisons to a similar incident in October 2025, where another individual attempted to throw a shoe at the bench, highlighting a rare but ongoing challenge regarding courtroom security and the handling of disruptive litigants.