Shocking incident in Karnataka that could probably be a first in the history of the Indian judiciary, Karnataka high court chief justice P D Dinakaran and two other senior judges were assaulted and locked in a dark room by agitating advocates.
Registrar general said, "Karnataka Chief Justice Dinkaran and two other Justices were locked in a room and electricity was turned off. The two Justices were manhandled by the lawyers who indulged in goondaism".
Several Karnataka High Court lawyers protested against continuance of Chief Justice P D Dinakaran, facing allegations of land grabbing, forcing him to suspend the proceedings and leave the hall.
Defying an order of the High Court, the lawyers abstained from court proceedings in response to a call given by the Advocates Association Bangalore (AAB) in consonance with a resolution it passed last week to protest Dinakaran's continuance.
The resolution said the lawyers wanted to "uphold the dignity and integrity of the judiciary". Dinakaran, who was hearing cases, suspended the proceedings and later left the court hall after a section of advocates resorted to slogan shouting against him.
The drama unfolded at about 10.30 am when the advocates noticed that despite the bar members staying away from the courts, some judges were attending hearings. When the news spread, about 200 advocates gathered at the high court premises to express anguish that judges were hearing cases without advocates being present in court rooms.
At around 11.25am, the advocates barged into court room 1, where justice Dinakaran was hearing cases. They verbally attacked him, and a sharp object was reportedly hurled at him, causing him a minor injury.
Dinakaran appealed to them: "I have highest regard for you. I have suffered a lot, and I have taken so much pain, so allow me to speak. I have given a detailed explanation to the Supreme Court collegium about the alleged allegations. If you do this to me, where shall I go? What sin have I committed? I am also one among you. I have constitutional commitments; so please let me discharge my duties."
But the agitators continued hurling abuses at him. Senior advocate Pramila Nesargi also requested the chief justice not to continue with the hearing, but justice Dinakaran held his ground. However, after 20 minutes of drama inside the court room, he was forced to leave the court room when the agitated group did not relent.
The advocates then roamed the high court corridors before entering the court room where justices Gopala Gowda and Nagarathna were hearing cases. At first, the advocates requested the judges not to continue with the hearings, but when they continued to hear the cases, they started singing the national anthem, followed by bhajans.
Posted by Shivani Shukla | Views 329 | Share Blog
