Allahabad High Court judges order bar association to address lawyer protest that locked courtroom gate
A judge ordered the newly elected High Court Bar Association to investigate lawyers who locked a courtroom gate, warning that barring advocates may constitute contempt of court.
Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal ordered that the newly elected body of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association examine a protest in which lawyers locked the gate to his courtroom from the outside, preventing other counsel from entering. The judge noted that the Supreme Court has ruled that preventing an advocate from accessing the court can amount to contempt.
Deshwal praised the overall conduct of the bar but expressed surprise that individuals claiming to be advocates were obstructing entry without any directive from the Bar Association. He instructed the registrar to review CCTV footage to identify those involved and warned that disciplinary and contempt proceedings could follow.
The dispute originated from an earlier incident in Justice Bhanot’s courtroom, where a lawyer was asked to apologise to a Superintendent of Police after objecting to the officer occupying a seat traditionally reserved for lawyers. The Bar Association claimed a separate chair had been placed for police and other officials, and that the judge had threatened to jail the lawyer and ridiculed a senior counsel. The association later warned of a boycott of Justice Bhanot’s court if corrective action was not taken, and on Wednesday some lawyers vandalised courtroom number 49, damaging furniture.
Because of the blockage, Justice Deshwal had to adjourn several matters scheduled for the day.