Delhi Confidential: Heated exchanges in SC over mic-snatching comment; Rajasthan CS gifts Diwali hamper to Cabinet Secretary

Welcome to Delhi Confidential, your inside track to the power corridors of the capital. Today: From sharp courtroom exchanges during the anti-SIR protest hearing to Rajasthan’s administrative progress and rural self-help group products taking center stage at Seva Teerth.

1. 01

   Object and Objection

   SOLICITOR GENERAL Tushar Mehta’s apparent dig at some lawyers on the petitioners’ side invited sharp reactions during the hearing of pleas linked to the anti-SIR protests in the Capital. As some counsel sought to counter submissions made by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who was representing traders, Mehta said: “Mr Rohatgi, you are lucky that your mic is not snatched.” A little later, when those counsel tried to speak again, an annoyed SG said: “Now can I say something without shouting from the other side? My Lord, I am safe. My mic is at a distance. Nobody can snatch it.” The message was not lost on anyone as a “mic-snatching incident” in the same case earlier had ‘forced’ Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who was representing some of the petitioners, to withdraw from the matter. Mehta’s comments invited protest from Senior Advocate Menaka Guruswamy, who told him: “You are a constitutional office holder Mr Mehta. Behave like one.”

2. 02

   Diwali Hamper

   Rajasthan Chief Secretary V Srinivas visited Seva Teerth on Tuesday to meet Cabinet Secretary Dr T V Somanathan and briefed him on the state’s progress in deregulation and reducing compliance requirements. He also apprised the Cabinet Secretary of the Gyan Bharatam Mission, an initiative aimed at preserving, digitising and disseminating India’s rich manuscript heritage. Srinivas came with a Diwali gift for Somanathan — a ‘Raj Sakhi’ gift hamper prepared by self-help groups associated with Mission Rajeevika, Rajasthan’s rural livelihood initiative. The hamper, it is learnt, contained a stole, a small soap, two candles and two sofa cushion covers, showcasing products crafted by women’s SHGs.