A procedural misstep in the Supreme Court’s registry triggered a heated exchange on Wednesday, exposing a gap between government counsel and the petitioners they represent. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati admitted to the bench that she had informally mentioned the contempt case before Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai to secure a listing before a special bench. She did not, however, inform the lawyers representing the petitioners about this development. When the matter was brought before a bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan, Bhati conceded the error and apologized for the lack of transparency.