Lawyers protest outside Dinakaran’s courtroom, journalists hurt

BANGALORE - Hundreds of lawyers laid siege outside Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran’s courtroom Monday to protest his continuing in office despite allegations of land grabbing and the amassing of assets disproportionate to his income.

A miffed Dinakaran, who was hearing a case, walked out of the courtroom amid the chaos.

The trouble had begun even as Dinakaran began hearing the case, with the lawyers assembling outside courtroom number one and raising slogans against him, despite a stay by the high court Saturday against boycotting him.

When the lawyers refused to relent, Dinakaran called representatives of the Advocates Association of Bangalore (AAB) inside the courtroom and told them that he should be allowed to discharge his constitutional duties.

What sin have I committed? Why are you protesting against me? Allow me to do my duty. The court cannot tolerate such acts, Dinakaran said.

Rejecting Dinakaran’s plea, the lawyers continued to shout Resign chief justice” and Down, down Dinakaran and prevented the proceedings.

In the melee, some advocates beat up a senior television journalist and a national news channel cameraperson — though he was not carrying a camera as proceedings are not allowed to be filmed.

A division bench of Justices Manjula Chellur and B.V. Nagarathna had stayed a resolution adopted by the AAB Nov 4 to boycott courts in protest against the continuation of Dinakaran as the high court’s chief justice.

A citizen, M.P. Gundappa, had filed a writ petition against the resolution.

There is no legal provision for lawyers to adopt such a resolution for abstaining from courts in protest against a judge or functioning chief justice even if allegations are leveled against him, D.V. Rajesh, a high court advocate, told IANS.

Dinakaran, whose elevation to the Supreme Court has been put on hold, pending a probe by the apex court body, had been accused of grabbing government land or amassing disproportionate assets after his appointed as judge of the Madras High Court by a section of the Tamil Nadu advocates.