"If you have guts, take action against me" - Lawyer to Court
AND the Court had the guts. It sent the lawyer to jail for six months with a fine of Rs. 2000/-.
In a judgement delivered day before yesterday, the Madras High Court handed out this punishment on a lawyer who was charged with:
1. Trooping into the Court Hall without wearing formal robes
2. Leading a procession of slogan shouting advocates
3. Shouting at the lawyers in the court to boycott the court
4. Preventing an advocate from arguing his case
5. When the Court asked him not to disturb the court proceedings and to give his lecture outside the court, telling the judges, 'If you have guts, take action against me'.
In its order, the High Court quoted from Supreme Court judgements:
Lawyers ought to know that at least as long as lawful redress is available to aggrieved lawyers, there is no justification for lawyers to join in an illegal conspiracy to commit a gross, criminal contempt of court, thereby striking at the heart of the liberty conferred on every person by our Constitution. Strike is an attempt to interfere with the administration of justice. The principle is that those who have duties to discharge in a court of justice are protected by the law and are shielded by the law to discharge those duties, the advocates in return have duty to protect the courts. For, once conceded that lawyers are above the law and the law courts, there can be no limit to lawyers taking the law into their hands to paralyse the working of the courts.
It is high time that the Supreme Court and the High Court make it clear beyond the doubt that they will not tolerate any interference from any body or authority in the daily administration of justice. For in no other way can the Supreme Court and the High Court maintain the high position and exercise the great powers conferred by the Constitution and the law to do justice without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.
If the judiciary is to perform its duties and functions effectively and true to the spirit with which they are sacredly entrusted to it, the dignity and authority of the courts have to be respected and protected at all costs. Otherwise, the very cornerstone of our Constitutional scheme will give way and with it will disappear the rule of law and the civilized life in the society.