Senior advocate Dinesh Dwivedi and Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud shared a lighthearted moment in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. Dwivedi, in a jesting manner, attributed his colourful hair to the recent Holi festivities. “Apologies for my colourful hair,” he chuckled.
“It is because of Holi. This is the disadvantage of having a lot of kids and grandkids around. You can’t save yourself,” the senior advocate added.
Chief Justice Chandrachud took the opportunity to inject some humour into the conversation. “Nothing to do with alcohol?” he quipped, eliciting laughter from those present.
Dwivedi, joining in the laughter, playfully admitted, “It does. Holi means partly alcohol… and I must confess… I am a fan of whiskey.”
The courtroom erupted in laughter.
During the proceedings, Dwivedi expanded on his appreciation for a glass of scotch and recounted a humorous anecdote about a near mishap.
“I prefer single malt whiskey. I went to Edinburgh, which is the Mecca of single-malt whiskey. I wanted to put some ice cubes and the waiter was offended, [saying] that you have to drink it neat and you cannot mix anything. There is a separate glass for it. The first time I came to know about it,” he said.
A nine-judge Constitution bench was hearing a case on industrial alcohol. The bench deliberated whether industrial alcohol is the same as edible alcohol available in the markets and the overlapping powers between the Centre and state governments on industrial alcohol production.
Dwivedi, representing the state of Uttar Pradesh, argued that all forms of alcohol come under state control.