Justice Roy, known for his wit and flair for humorous remarks, was hearing a petition alongside justice SVN Bhatti. The lawyer was challenging the framing of charges in a criminal case, despite consistent findings by three lower courts upholding the charges.

As the lawyer tried to press his case, justice Roy intervened by saying, “There are findings by three courts affirming the framing of charges. You want this court to interfere with the consistent findings of three courts?”

Undeterred, the lawyer responded with a familiar request among the legal fraternity: “Give me 30 seconds.”

The request, however, was met with an unexpected twist. “Okay, we will give you 30 seconds, but we are dismissing your petition right away,” justice Roy quipped.

The bench then formally dismissed the petition, recording its decision in the order. But the 30 seconds were still on offer, though with a catch.

“Now, you have your 30 seconds. Tell us anything apart from your case. Anything that you would want to talk about,” said justice Roy, opening the floor for a casual conversation.

The lawyer, taken aback, had no immediate response. Justice Roy persisted, urging the lawyer to lighten the moment: “Let’s have a conversation. Tell us what went wrong in Australia with our cricket team. We can talk about anything…how’s the weather today? How much did it rain last night? Or were you sleeping?”

Justice Bhatti added a touch of gravity, explaining why the court was disinclined to intervene. “There are consistent findings of three courts. To entertain your petition would mean going into the facts of the case after the same exercise has been done by three other courts that reached the same conclusion. It can happen only in the rarest of rare cases, which this is not.”

The lawyer attempted to bring up a legal precedent but was gently reminded that the bench had already closed the matter.

While the lawyer ultimately didn’t use his “30 seconds” to delve into the fortunes of the Indian cricket team in Australia, the incident highlighted justice Roy’s knack for bringing levity into serious courtroom discussions — a trait that has endeared him to many in the legal fraternity.

During his tenure as the Chief Justice of India, Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud always requested justice Roy to close hearings on a lighter note whenever they shared a bench. Thursday’s exchange was yet another instance of how justice Roy’s engaging demenaour reminded that the court could be a space for wit as well as wisdom.

Justice Roy was appointed as a judge in the Supreme Court in September 2019 after having served as the chief justice of the Kerala high court and a judge in the Gauhati high court. He will retire on January 31 this year.