Lawyers of the Kerala High Court under the aegis of the Kerala High Court Advocates Association boycotted Justice A. Badharudeen’s court on Friday, demanding an apology from him for what they termed as insensitive and discourteous behaviour of the judge towards a woman lawyer.
The lawyers resorted to protest after the issue was discussed at an emergency meeting of the association on the day.
A resolution moved by George Poonthottam, a senior High Court lawyer, at the association’s meeting condemned the alleged incident, noting that the judge reacted insensitively to the woman lawyer.
March 6 incident
The issue that provoked the lawyers took place on March 6 when the wife of a deceased lawyer appeared in the court of the judge seeking permission to file a fresh vakalath to replace the one filed by her husband earlier. The lawyers alleged that the judge behaved rudely toward the woman lawyer, and she reportedly broke down in the court hall.
Yeshwant Shenoy, the president of the association, said the lawyers were aggrieved by the insensitive and insulting comments of the judge towards the lawyer, for which he should apologise in the open court. The association has also brought the issue to the notice of the Chief Justice, he said.
Meanwhile, sources close to the judge termed it as an issue that stemmed out of a miscommunication between the lawyer and the judge.
The judge was unaware of the death of the lawyer. The fact that the wife of the deceased lawyer had appeared before the court on the day to change the vakalath was also not known to the court, sources said.
The woman lawyer remained silent on a question from the court about the lawyer who had reportedly filed the vakalath earlier. Another woman lawyer, who intervened at this juncture, too did not inform the court that it was the wife of the deceased lawyer that had sought the permission for changing the Vakalath, sources said.
Had it been known that the bereaved woman lawyer was appearing before the court, she would have been given a special consideration. The facts about the death of the lawyer were not mentioned before the court, which led to the situation, sources said.
The judge didn’t hold a sitting on the day following the incidents.
Remove
SEE ALL