Resolution against Patiala House court violence torn up by lawyers in Kerala

KOCHI: A resolution that was passed by Kerala High Court Advocates Association (KHCAA) on Tuesday to condemn the conduct of lawyers at Patiala House Court was torn into pieces by a section of lawyers who protested the decision to pass it unanimously and without a discussion.
Addressing a general body meeting convened to put the resolution proposed by advocate Manu Sebastian to vote, KHCAA president SU Nazar said it is his personal opinion and that of the association that the resolution should be passed unanimously.This was met with a round of applause from the lawyers gathered. A section of lawyers affiliated to BJP then demanded a discussion on the resolution. They pointed out that no resolution was passed regarding the conduct of lawyers at Madras high court or Thiruvananthapuram court when they resorted to violence but such an attempt is being made in support of a person accused of an antinational act and is part of politics. However, the president declared the resolution as passed. A protest erupted then that resulted in the resolution being torn up into pieces.
A complaint was then filed before the KHCAA executive committee by BJP-affiliated lawyers pointing out that the president had taken a stand in favour of the resolution before it was presented and that no discussion was allowed. Not allowing those in opposition to speak in the general body meeting amounts to violation of right to free expression and is an example of intolerance. Therefore, the resolution should be declared as invalid, it is demanded.
In the meanwhile, a complaint has been filed by advocate BH Mansoor, who was a signatory to the resolution, seeking disciplinary action against the lawyers who physically obstructed the moving of the resolution. "The high-handed action of the said members is highly condemnable, unfathomable, and unbecoming of a lawyer," the complaint said.