'Lady Lawyers Who Winked At Me Got Favourable Orders': Former SC Justice Markandey Katju Draws Backlash After Controversial X Post, Later Deletes It

New Delhi: Former Supreme Court justice Markandey Katju sparked fresh outrage on social media after another controversial post on X (formerly Twitter), in which he said that “all the lady lawyers who winked at me in the court got favourable orders.”

The tweet, which drew immediate criticism from users, was reportedly deleted soon after it was posted.

Have a look at it here:

Tweet Deleted After Backlash

Several advocates and users called out the remarks as “distasteful” and “demeaning to the judiciary.” One advocate responding to the tweet wrote, “The tweet is deleted now. All orders passed by him should be revisited.” However, screenshots of the post continued to circulate widely even after it was taken down.

Justice Katju, who retired from the Supreme Court in 2011, is no stranger to controversy online. He is known for his frequent hot takes on politics, poetry and philosophy, often mixing commentary with Urdu couplets and personal anecdotes. His social media presence has repeatedly drawn criticism for his blunt and sometimes provocative remarks.

Katju's History of Controversial Remarks

Katju’s history of controversial statements goes back to his judicial and post-retirement years. In 2015, he courted criticism after saying that the BJP would have performed better in Delhi elections had it fielded Shazia Ilmi instead of Kiran Bedi, arguing that Ilmi was “much more beautiful.” More recently, he has used social media to express views on issues ranging from the hijab row in Karnataka to the reunification of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

His profile describes him as having a “wide range of interests” in subjects such as Sanskrit, Urdu, history, philosophy and sociology. While these interests often shape his online commentary, it is his remarks about women and politics that have kept him in the public eye.

Katju 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 chaired the Press Council of India until 2014. Today, with nearly four lakh followers on X and close to nine lakh on Facebook, he remains one of the most followed former judges online.

Published on: Thursday, August 21, 2025, 12:09 PM IST