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BANGALORE: Karnataka high court chief justice Vikramajit Sen on Thursday sent a strong warning that judges would not take a lenient view of the boycott of courts by lawyers. This even as the advocates' fraternity dug in its heels and reiterated its demand for the ouster of two senior ministers and transfer of two top police officers in connection with the March 2 violence in the City Civil Court complex. The advocates also decided to go ahead with its mammoth meeting of representatives of lawyers' bodies from across the state on Friday, notwithstanding the ban orders around civil and magistrate courts and eight police station limits. They will take a decision on the future course of action at the Friday meeting. Hearing two PILs filed by the Advocates Association of Bangalore (AAB) in connection with the alleged bias in media's coverage of March 2 violence, chief justice Sen said he may dismiss the petitions if advocates continued to stay away from courts. "Let us be clear on this. How can we hear these PILs when you are not attending courts? If you continue (agitation), we may not hear them. It (facts) should be open ended. Think over it," the chief justice remarked while ordering notice to the state government, the information and broadcasting ministry and several media houses. Hinting that further boycott of courts by lawyers would only mean dismissals, the chief justice also dismissed two other PILs for non-prosecution. "There is no representation for the petitions even though they were called twice. The petitions stand dismissed," Sen said. The agitating lawyers, however, appeared unmindful of the chief justice's warning. The governing council of the AAB once against reiterated its demand for the removal of home minister R Ashoka and law minister S Suresh Kumar and transfer of director general of police Shankar M Bidari and police commissioner BG Jyothi Prakash Mirji. AAB president KN Subba Reddy told TOI, "We will hold discussions with advocates' association representatives from taluks and districts and elicit their views on the future course of action." Advocates fine-tune strategy Besides filing private complaints against media and police in courts, advocates have decided to approach the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Civil Rights Enforcement cell against police. The Advocates' Association of Bangalore (AAB) has prepared a format and is planning to circulate the same among advocates in the state, asking them to file as many defamation cases against the media as possible. Addressing a AAB meeting in City Civil Court complex, a leading advocate said: "We are about 70,000 lawyers in the state. We should file at least 10,000 defamation cases against the media.'' Referring to police claim that some miscreants in the guise of police were present in the court premises, the advocates accused police of sending people in the guise of media, advocates and police to create trouble. |
| SOURCE: The Times of India |
