Miffed Dinakaran leaves court amidst lawyers’ melee (Roundup)

BANGALORE - A miffed Karnataka High Court Chief Justice P.D. Dinakaran Monday walked out of the court amid chaos when lawyers protesting against his continuation in office laid a siege to his courtroom and refused to withdraw their boycott call.

The controversial top judge, who is facing allegations of land-grabbing and amassing disproportionate assets, tried to dissuade the lawyers from disturbing the proceedings, as the high court stayed Saturday the boycott call given by the Advocates Association of Bangalore (AAB) Nov 4.

When the lawyers refused to relent, Dinakaran stopped hearing a case and called the associations representatives to tell 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 advocates continued to shout “Resign chief justice” and “Down, down Dinakaran” inside and outside the courtroom and prevented the proceedings.

After Dinakaran left for his chamber in a huff, the agitated lawyers rushed to the adjacent courtrooms of Justices Gopala Gowda and B.V. Nagarathna to stall their proceedings.

The advocates also prevented the judges from leaving the courtrooms and locked up their chambers subsequently.

In the melee, Gowda got hurt when he tried to dissuade the advocates.

About 60,000 lawyers abstained from courts across the state in protest against the continuation of Dinakaran in office.

“The boycott of proceedings from lower courts to high court has been total and successful. Though courts were functioning, about 60,000 advocates stayed away from all proceedings,” Advocates Association of Bangalore (AAB) general secretary R. Rajanna told IANS.

Though Dinakarans elevation to the Supreme Court has been put on hold, the lawyers wanted the apex court collegium to give its verdict on the charges submitted by advocates of Tamil Nadu High Court.

“Since the collegium has not completed the probe even 40 days after we first gave a call for Dinakarans resignation, the association has decided to boycott his court,” Rajanna noted.

A section of lawyers, who are not members of the AAB, disagreed with the boycott call.

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

A senior television journalist and a cameraman of a leading English news channel were beaten up by a group of lawyers in the high court premises during the lawyers’ agitation against Dinakaran.

The incident occurred in Dinakarans courtroom amid chaos when cameraman Venkatesh was talking on his mobile. As cameras are not allowed inside courtrooms, some lawyers thought Venkatesh was capturing the scuffle that broke out between the advocates on his mobile and started beating him.

In the melee, his shirt was torn and he sustained bruises on his neck and back.

When the senior journalist, who declined to be named, rushed to Venkateshs rescue, he too was assaulted by a group of advocates.

After Dinakaran left the courtroom, expressing displeasure over the lawyers’ boycott call, a section of advocates turned their ire on media personnel covering the event.

Condemning the assault, about 60 media persons, including photo-journalists, television cameramen and reporters, staged a demonstration outside the high court and called for action against the advocates who beat up Venkatesh and the journalist.