‘Lady lawyers who winked got favourable orders’: Ex-SC Judge Katju

New Delhi: Former Supreme Court Justice Markandey Katju landed in controversy on Thursday after a post on X, where he claimed that “all the lady lawyers who winked at me in the court got favourable orders.”

The remark, which quickly went viral, was later deleted following heavy criticism from lawyers and social media users. Advocates termed the post “distasteful” and “demeaning to the judiciary.”

“The tweet is deleted now. All orders passed by him should be revisited,” one advocate wrote, as screenshots of the original post continued circulating widely online. Check out the post below:

This is not the first time Katju has faced backlash over his statements. In 2015, he drew severe criticism for saying that the Bharatiya Janata Party would have performed better in the Delhi elections if it had fielded Shazia Ilmi instead of Kiran Bedi, claiming Ilmi was “much more beautiful.”

Though framed as a joke, Justice Katju’s remark was anything but harmless banter — and it failed on two fronts.

First, it violated the standard of judicial conduct. Even after retirement, a judge carries the weight of the office he once held. To suggest that women lawyers could influence verdicts with a wink casts doubt on judicial integrity itself. It sends a dangerous message to young women that success in law comes not through skill but through charm.

Second, it failed even as humour. Good humour challenges power, provokes thought, or eases pain; satire exposes uncomfortable truths. Katju’s words did none of these. Instead, they leaned on a tired, sexist trope — that women rise through flirtation — reducing professional women to caricatures. To call this “humour” is merely to excuse sexism with a laugh.

Worse, Katju doubled down. After deleting the original post, he shared a screenshot of a woman asking for tips on courtroom arguments, to which he replied, “judge ko aankh maar doh” (wink at the judge). From an internet troll, such words would be tasteless. From a former Supreme Court judge, they are corrosive.

Over the years, Katju has frequently used social media to voice strong opinions on political and social issues, including the reunification of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, the Karnataka hijab row, and more.

Justice Katju previously served as Chief Justice of the Madras and Delhi High Courts before being elevated to the Supreme Court in 2006. He retired in 2011 and later headed the Press Council of India until 2014.