The protest by the Tamil Nadu lawyers reached a high point on Monday as the Bar Council of India suspended 126 protesting lawyers which included some of the lawyers leading the protests. The lawyers were protesting against disciplinary rules for lawyers that was introduced in May.
On Monday morning, the protesting lawyers gathered near the Madra High Court. They were outnumbered by the police, shortly after they began sloganeering.
Slogans of “Bar Council down down” and “CJ Kaul down down” could be heard, with the protesting lawyers demanding Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul’s resignation from his post.
Barricades were erected outside the entrances which were guarded by a number of police officers. A Quick Response Team was also deployed to the venue.
State Coordinator for Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu Advocates, Thirumalairajan, one of the 126 lawyers suspended by the BCI told the lawyers gathered for the protest to maintain peace and “patience and calm”. “Don’t fight with the police, don’t embarrass them… We are not fighting them,” he said, adding, “But our protest is strong and we will fight tooth and nail.” He also told the gathered lawyers that the Chief Justice of Madras had “become a mental patient”.
The Bar Council of India today suspended 126 lawyers of Tamil Nadu and prohibited them from practising in any court or tribunal in the country pursuant to its warning that it will suspend those who indulge in boycott and other activities.
The BCI’s action comes in the wake of an announcement by the Joint Action Committee of various bar associations to stage a sit-in at the Madras High Court here, High Court bench in Madurai and subordinate courts on July 25, protesting the recently amended rules to Advocates Act.
The JAC had said they would not allow anyone, even judges, to enter the campus.
Besides these 126 lawyers, at least 44 lawyers had earlier been suspended for misconduct.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)