Karnataka High Court initiates contempt proceedings over ruckus created by group of lawyers in Chief Justice’s courtroom
The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against unidentified persons from a group of lawyers who barged into the courtroom of the Chief Justice and disrupted the proceedings by creating a ruckus.
The group forced the lawyers present in the courtroom to leave and objected to their participation in the court proceedings despite a call for a statewide boycott of court proceedings by bar associations, including the Bar Association, Bengaluru (AAB) to protest the recent incidents of murders, attempted murders of lawyers in various parts of the state.
Warning for AAB
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice KS Hemalekha presiding over the proceedings in the courtroom took serious exception to the conduct of the group of advocates and ordered to register contempt of court proceedings in this regard. The Bench also ordered the issuance of a notice to the AAB.
“Prima facie we are of the view that this conduct amounts to contemptuous conduct,” the Bench observed in its order.
The bench expressed its displeasure over the incident, especially as it had earlier promised the association that no adverse orders would be passed against the advocates who abstained from the court proceedings due to the boycott call.
After the contempt of court proceedings were initiated, a group of advocates led by AAB treasurer Shwetha Ravishankar appeared before the Bench and tried to explain the situation and offered an apology for the incident.
The bench, however, told her, “This is the Supreme Court of the State and if you think that someone can barge in and start creating ruckus, then consequences must follow.”
The bench told her that the association’s reply would be heard when the contempt petition was taken up for hearing on November 19.
Another courtroom
Earlier, a group of lawyers led by AAB president Vivek Subba Reddy entered the courtroom-2 and asked the lawyers, including a senior advocate participating in the trial, to leave the courtroom.
However, a division bench comprising Justice Anu Sivaraman and Justice KS Bharath Kumar presiding over the proceedings took serious exception to the conduct of the association officials.
Meanwhile, the defense lawyers participating in the proceedings vacated Courtroom-2 to avoid any confrontation.
Advocates forced
Similarly, various groups entered various other courtrooms and forced lawyers attending court proceedings to leave the courtrooms.
These events brought the proceedings to an abrupt end in most courtrooms. However, in some courtrooms, defense attorneys appeared and argued cases via video conferencing equipment.
Many litigants and senior advocates expressed their displeasure at the act of forcing advocates to leave the courtrooms.
Meanwhile, a delegation led by Mr. Reddy met Home Minister Priyank Kharg, who sought adequate security for lawyers by amending the provisions of the Advocates’ Protection Act, making it a non-bailable offense against advocates, and enforcing a standard operating procedure for the police to deal with advocates when they visit a police station to represent their clients in a court case.
Published – 03 Nov 2026 20:07 IST