Lawyers at the Allahabad High Court on Thursday continued with their protest against the alleged ill-treatment of a lawyer by Justice Ajay Bhanot earlier this week.
In an order passed today, Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal recorded that the protesting lawyers did not allow other lawyers to enter his courtroom, as the gate was locked from the outside.
The Court observed that the Supreme Court has held in a number of cases that stopping an advocate from entering the court amounts to the contempt of court.
Justice Deshwal remarked that most of the advocates practicing at the Allahabad High Court are not only very sincere but also well-behaved.
However, the judge added, it was surprising that without any call from the Bar Association, certain persons claiming to be advocates of the High Court, were stopping counsel from entering the Court for no reason.
The Court requested the newly-elected body of the Bar Association to look into this issue so that the dignity of the bar and the bench is maintained.
The issue stemmed from an incident in Justice Bhanot's court when he made a lawyer apologise to a Superintendent of Police (SP) for objecting to the officer sitting in a seat usually reserved for lawyers.
The Bar Association said that a separate chair was being placed in Justice Bhanot's courtroom for police officers and other high-ranking officials. The lawyer had asked the SP to move further back.
The bar body alleged that the judge threatened to jail the lawyer and also ridiculed another senior counsel.
In a statement released on Tuesday, association warned that its members would boycott Justice Bhanot's court if no action is taken. Though there was no formal call for boycotting the judge, lawyers on Wednesday vandalised his courtroom.
They allegedly broke furniture and other items inside courtroom number 49 where Justice Bhanot was holding court.
Justice Deshwal, who had heard the lawyers' sloganeering while he was hearing a bail matter, had asked Registrar (Protocol) on Wednesday to check the CCTV footage of the particular area outside its courtroom and identify the advocates involved in the incident. The Court warned that it will initiate disciplinary and contempt of court proceedings against the lawyers.
Today, Justice Deshwal had to adjourn several matters as it was informed that lawyers were unable to enter the Court.
[Read Order]