I used to joke a lot in Court when I was a Judge.
One day when I was in the Supreme Court a case came before me of a husband whose divorce matter had been going on for several years, maybe for 10-15 years, from the trial Court to the High Court, and ultimately in the Supreme Court.
I told him " Zindagi mein khush rehne ka ek hi tareeqa hai ki jo bibi kahe usey maano. Tumne bibi se jhagda kiya, aur uska anjaam hai ki barson se bhugat rahe ho aur Court kuchehri ke chakkar lagaa rahe ho " ( There is only one way of happiness in life, and that is to do whatever your wife says. You quarreled with your wife, and the result is that you are miserable and running around the courts for years ).
Of course I said this half in jest, but the consequence was that the T.V. channels and the newspapers started publicizing this widely. I received many telephone calls from people I know, including High Court Judges, saying that because of my remark their wives are not listening to them, saying that it is a Supreme Court ruling ! One senior lawyer, Mr. Nagendra Rai, said in my Court before he began his arguments " Aapne ghar mein jhagda karwa diya " ( i.e. I have caused big quarrels in many homes).
I never knew a joke could create such a furore !
