Lawyers protest: AIBA urges BCI to take suo motu action

All India Bar Association (AIBA) has urged Bar Council of India (BCI) to take suo motu action and suspend the licences of lawyers who staged a protest before the Madras High Court Chief Justice's bench demanding Tamil be made official language.
Charging Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry with failure to take action against the errant lawyers, AIBA Chairman Dr Adish C Aggarwala said that "by now, the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu should have identified the persons leading the illegal agitations and acted against them. The Council's failure could lead to more serious threats to judicial independence."
"Therefore, AIBA demands BCI, New Delhi, to take suo motu note of the developments in Tamil Nadu and immediately debar the advocates who had unleashed threat and intimidation to the institution", he said in a statement here.

On September 14, a group of advocates had created a flutter in the High Court when they sat in the court hall throwing black cloth across their mouth demanding Tamil be made the court language, earning Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul's displeasure.
The advocates, numbering around 12 and under the banner of Tamils Struggle Movement of Madurai, entered the court of the Chief Justice and occupied the seats in the public gallery before arrival of the Judge.
As the CJ arrived, two of the lawyers, wearing robes, moved to the seats meant for advocates. Immediately after taking his seat, the Chief Justice noticed the presence of the protesting lawyers and sought to know the reason.

Showing his displeasure at the protest, Justice Kaul had said the court was not the right forum for making such demands and that they should approach the government.

The Judge said despite intimation of possibility of such protest, the local police force had not been able to prevent the situation.
However, the lawyers in the post-lunch session removed the black cloth but remained seated in the court.
Additional Solicitor General G Rajagopalan, who was present, submitted that it had become routine for a section of lawyers to protest like this.
He also said police did not want to go beyond a point in view of past untoward incidents, including the violent clashes between lawyers and police in February 2009.