The Supreme Court and the Central government found themselves face to face on Friday, not in a courtroom, but across a badminton net.

Newly appointed Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and fellow Supreme Court Justice Vikram Nath faced Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. 

Their audience: nearly 80 judges from across the country, many holding up their phones to capture every serve, smash and drop shot. The judges had gathered at Delhi’s Thyagaraj Stadium for the All India Judges Badminton Championship, inaugurated earlier in the day by the CJI.

Nursing an old leg injury and still relatively new to the game, CJI Kant made the first serve.

It falls a little short. A point to the Union of India.

Justice Nath’s smashes and cross-court shots drew cheers from the stands and the CJI’s rhythm improved as the match progressed.

“Wah!” a spectator shouted as the CJI returned a powerful smash from Meghwal.

Rijiju and Meghwal had an answer for every question posed by the judges. Fortune favoured them too. One of Meghwal’s smashes clipped the top of the net. The audience gasped. Some began to cheer, anticipating a point for the Supreme Court. But the shuttle fell over to the other side.

Another point to the Union of India.

With the score at 10–6, the ministers needed just one more point. Hoping to keep the contest alive, CJI Surya Kant made the final serve. Meghwal returned it. The CJI attempted a defensive shot, but the shuttle hit the net.

Final score: 11–6. The ministers win.