Advocates' Protection Bill ready: Kerala CM VD Satheesan

Kerala Chief Minister (CM) VD Satheesan said on Thursday that the proposed Advocates' Protection Bill is ready and will be introduced in the State assembly soon.

He assured that the law would offer "sufficient protection" for advocates in the State.

He was speaking after being felicitated by the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association (KHCAA), a bar body of which the CM is also a member.

The felicitation event, Prathibha 2026, was organised by KHCAA to honour members who were elected as ministers and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) in the recent assembly elections, as well as advocates elected to the Bar Council of Kerala.

The event was attended by Chief Justice Soumen Sen, Advocate General Jaju Babu, Minister VE Abdul Gafoor, and MLAs Mathew Kuzhalnadan, Chandy Oommen and Fyzal Babu VK, among others.

Below are the key things Chief Minister Satheesan said in his address at the felicitation:

Government prioritising Kerala High Court's pending demands

Satheesan said the State government has already asked the chief secretary to prioritise the pending demands raised by the Kerala High Court, and expressed hope that all pending issues concerning the High Court would be resolved during his tenure.

KHCAA's own demands also flagged

The Chief Minister said the Association had separately submitted certain demands of its own, and that he hoped those too could be addressed during his term.

New academic programmes proposed

Satheesan said he has asked colleagues to start new academic programmes in maritime law, logistics, legal history, admiralty and arbitration.

Advocates' Protection Bill ready

Responding to KHCAA president Peeyus A Kottam's appeal for an Advocates' Protection Bill, Satheesan said,

"Don't worry about that. We will ensure sufficient protection for lawyers," adding that the proposed legislation is ready and will be introduced soon.

Justice hurried can also become justice buried

On the rising number of cases before courts, the CM said that while "justice delayed is justice denied" is a settled maxim, "there is another side to it as justice hurried can also become justice buried."

Legislative record and drafting precision

Satheesan said he has participated in every piece of legislation enacted during his 25 years in the Kerala Legislative Assembly, across every reading.

He stressed the importance of precise legislative drafting, saying that an omitted comma can allow an able lawyer to interpret a law differently and defeat its purpose, and that he has reminded colleagues that judges will scrutinise the laws they pass.

Satheesan was felicitated with a traditional ponnada and presented with a plaque. MLAs Mathew Kuzhalnadan and Chandy Oommen were also felicitated, along with all KHCAA members recently elected to the Bar Council of Kerala.

KHCAA secretary Nima Jacob delivered the welcome address.

Chief Justice (CJ) Soumen Sen, in his address, said the Bar has historically been "a nursery of leadership," pointing to lawyers' role in India's freedom movement and the drafting of the Constitution.

"The Bar has always been a nursery of leadership. India's freedom movement witnessed lawyers emerging as nation builders, and many of the architects of our Constitution came from the legal profession," the CJ said

Advocate General Jaju Babu, in his felicitation address, noted that 2026 marks the Platinum Jubilee year of the State of Kerala, the Kerala High Court and KHCAA, all established in 1956, and called it fitting that the Chief Minister was being honoured alongside the newly elected Bar Council members in this landmark year.

KHCAA President Peeyus A Kottam highlighted how the bar body has produced many eminent judges though this might be the first instance of a KHCAA member becoming the CM of the State.

"Our Association has produced Chief Justices and several eminent members of the judiciary. But this is the first time that we have a Chief Minister from our fraternity," he said.

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