Lawyers 'siege' bid foiled, CJ asks them to get back to work

Hundreds of lawyers from across Tamil Nadu today laid a virtual siege to Madras High Court campus demanding withdrawal of new disciplinary rules even as Chief Justice S K Kaul termed the situation "painful" and asked them to introspect on their conduct and get back to work.
Undeterred by the Bar Council of India's action yesterday suspending 126 lawyers spearheading the more than two-month long stir, members of various advocate associations gathered near the court campus here, which was heavily barricaded in view of the protest, and demanded that new rules providing for debarring erring lawyers be rescinded.
Opposing the rules as "draconian," they also demanded revocation of suspension of the 126 lawyers.

The court premises virtually turned a fortress with a large number of police personnel, including those drawn from Armed Reserve, deployed all around the seven entry-exit gates of the sprawling complex and only those advocates who have a case listed were allowed to enter the court after frisking.
More than 2,000 lawyers congregated around the court premises and shouted slogans as part of the agitation. Several of them tried to breach the barricades to enter the premises and lay siege, but they were prevented by police. A section of the protesters later courted arrest.
As the matter was raised in the court, Justice Kaul noted that the lawyers had gone ahead with the siege protest despite repeated appeals against such agitations and asked them to appear before the committee of judges set up to look into the new rules, notified in May last.

Earlier, when the Chief Justice arrived in the court, a group of about 250 advocates gathered near one of the gates and shouted slogans against him and the rules.

During the hearing of a case later, advocate A P Suryaprakasam submitted before the CJ that police was preventing entry of lawyers into the court.
"It is not a happy situation to restrict entry for lawyers to the court, but what can authorities do when lawyers threaten to lay siege to the campus," Justice Kaul asked, declining to interfere with the police action.
"It is very very painful. Get back to work and go before the committee.Repeated requests and appeals were made, but nothing has happened. Tell me who has taken action under the amended rules in the past two months. You talk to your colleagues," he told the advocate.

"Despite several appeals by the High Court (to the lawyers) to come before the reconstituted committee and put their suggestions before the committee, there was no response. It is unfortunate. We regret the inconvenience caused," Justice Kaul said.
(REOPENS MDS 15)
Referring to an agitation inside court hall seeking Tamil as court language last year, the Chief Justice said he quietly went about his work ignoring their presence in the hall, and did not initiate any contempt proceedings.
"I never initiated contempt proceeding even on that occasion. Please advise your colleagues. Please see what the litigant public feels about them," he told Suryaprakasham.

For the past two months, the High Court has been continuously appealing to the agitating lawyers to come before the rules committee and put forth their views, he said.
When Suryaprakasam reiterated that gates had been locked, the Chief Justice asked the High Court Registrar General for details.
The official said the gates had to be locked when a group of lawyers tried to breach the barricade and barge in. The situation was under control now, he told the bench.
Police personnel armed with tear gas shells, and anti-riot "Vajra" vehicles were stationed in and around the complex. Police had a tough time in handling the crowd that began to swell since this morning.

CISF, which is in charge of security for the inner precincts of the court complex, has also beefed up security.
High Court police said the protest choked traffic for several hours.
The high court in May had notified new rules for debarring advocates on grounds of browbeating or abusing judges, laying siege to court halls, tamper with court records, appearing in court under the influence of alcohol.
Also, spreading unsubstantiated allegations against judges or accepting money either in the name of a judge or under the pretext of influencing him are grounds for disciplinary action.
Such amended rules were made part of Rule 14 of the High Court by virtue of powers conferred on court under the Advocates Act, 1961.

Following the protests against the rules, the court had later set up a five-member judges committee to look into them. The next hearing of the panel would be held on July 29.