HC orders contempt notices to 15 advocates

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, APRIL 30. The First Bench of the Madras High Court today took a serious view of the continuing violence in the campus, and ordered suo motu contempt notices to 15 advocates for having ``disrupted court proceedings and damaging public properties'' during their campus rallies on April 25, 26 and 27.

Besides recommending appropriate action against the identified persons by the Bar Council of India (BCI), the High Court registered a formal police complaint against them and 15 others.

In his complaint to the Commissioner of Police, the Registrar- General, Mr. K. Jayaraman, said on Thursday last a group of advocates, led by the Madras High Court Advocates Association (MHAA) president, Mr. R. Karuppan, shouted slogans against Mr. Justice S. Jagadeesan while the court was in session. Their action posed ``grave threat to the life of Mr. Justice Jagadeesan and there was every chance of their attacking the Judge with the intention of causing hurt to him'', the complaint read.

They also obstructed and threatened the advocates attending the courts, saying that some advocate had been arrested, Mr. Jayaraman said. Earlier, ordering contempt notices, the First Bench comprising the Chief Justice, Mr. N. K. Jain, and Mr. Justice K. Sampath said, ``though a complaint was prepared, on account of intervention by some advocates and keeping in mind the dignity of the institution, it was not lodged with the police''.

However, on April 25, 26 and 27 the advocates continued to disrupt court proceedings. ``They also pasted posters containing misleading, incorrect and scandalous statements disparaging a sitting Judge of this court. This scandalises the reputation of the High Court and clearly amounts to contempt of court'', the order read. ``Judges have limitations and cannot rebuke what all have been said or done against them, due to judicial restraint. But, it cannot be taken lightly with the advocates behaving in an unbecoming manner as they like. They should not think that they are above the rule of law and such things cannot be tolerated'', the Bench observed. A group of advocates, not exceeding 25, making the issue for their personal interest and threatening other advocates working was nothing but a clear case of contempt of court, the Judges said.

The Bench directed that the matter be placed before the Bar Council of India for taking appropriate action against the 15 advocates identified. ``We are prima facie satisfied that the 15 have committed contempt of court. We are satisfied to issue suo motu contempt notices against them under Art. 215 '', it said.

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