Eminent lawyers are facing disciplinary action from the High Court Advocates Association for condemning the attack on journalists by a section of lawyers at Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram and for questioning the support extended by Lawyers Association to a government pleader who was accused of molesting a woman.
The High Court Advocates Association proposed to suspend CP Udayabhanu, Shivan Mattathil, Kaleeshwaram Raj, former MP, Sebastian Paul, Sangeetha Lakshmana and A Jayashankar, who strongly condemned the attack on journalists by a section of lawyers at Kerala High Court in Kochi and district court premises in Thiruvananthapuram.
The general body meeting of the association criticised the stand taken by the senior lawyers and said they had deceived the lawyers' community.
Also read: Kerala High Court tense after lawyers, journos clash
The functioning of Courts in the state has come to a standstill following boycott of lawyers from court activities. The lawyers are boycotting the courts in the state for the second consecutive day after the tension in front of the High Court on Wednesday.
Also read: Kerala Lawyers go berserk again: many injured in violence, media vehicles attacked
Meanwhile, divisions emerged among the lawyers community as many among them came out in public against the Lawyer's Association's open support to a government pleader who allegedly molested a woman on public road.
Also read: Govt pleader arrested in Kochi for molesting woman on busy road
Sangeetha Lakshmana, an eminent lawyer, lashed out at High Court Advocates Association for supporting their colleague Dhanesh Mathew Manjooran, the government pleader, who allegedly tried to molest a woman. Lawyers Union state secretary Advocate B Rajendran opined that the freedom of the press must be protected and termed the attack of young lawyers as unfortunate.
"I have not received any intimation yet on the suspension proceedings," said A Jayasankar. "Who would the Association support, the man who molested a woman or those who condemned it," he quipped.
The lawyers community took out protests in Thrissur, Kollam and Kochi against journalists. They also burnt copies of newspapers. The lawyers, who boycotted court proceedings, allegedly stopped lawyers from attending the court at Kollam.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the unusual situation prevailing, the court deferred the pronouncing the quantum of sentence in the sensational murder of police constable Manian Pillai murder. The court had found the accused Aadu Antony guilty of murder in the case.
