HC directs ex-prez of HC Advocates Assn to file explanation

The Madras High Court today directed the former president of the Madurai Bench High Court Advocates Association W Peter Ramesh Kumar, one of 14 lawyers suspended by Bar Council of India, to file an explanation as to show cause why action should not be taken against him under Contempt of Courts Act by January 19.
A division bench of the court's Madurai bench, comprising Justice V Ramasubramanian and Justice N.Kirubakaran, who were hearing suo motu contempt proceedings, said the attitude of the contemnor was one of confrontation and rejected his request to grant eight weeks time to file his reponse.

"The matter is directed to be listed on January 19, 2016, for the contemnor to file his response and if he fails to file his response, further proceedings will go on in accordance to law."
The judges regretted the attitude of the contemnor who questioned why the present contempt proceedings also should not be transferred to Karnataka just as disciplinary proceedings against 20 lawyers, before the Bar Council, had been transferred to Karnataka.
When judges said such a transfer could be done only by the Supreme Court, he stated that if the registry was directed to pay him the cost of his travel to Delhi he would go to the apex court and seek transfer.

Technically, the contemnor was obliged to file his explanation. But now he was saying that he could not be asked to commit himself in writing, the bench said.

The objective of the contemnor was to prolong the issue and confront the court and aggravate the contempt, the bench said.
The court had issued suo motu criminal contempt of court notice to Kumar, former president of the Madurai Bench High Court Advocates Association, for reportedly disrupting the court proceedings on September 16 and "challenging the court to take action against him if it had guts."
Kumar was one of the 14 lawyers suspended by Bar Council of India on September 22.