4 lawyers held for attack on journos; media rejects probe

Mangaloretoday/ DHNS

Bangalore, Mar 3, 2012: Facing heat from the media over its ’inaction’, police today arrested four advocates in connection with attack on media personnel by a section of lawyers during the mayhem that rocked the city civil court.

Premises of City Civil Court wears deserted look in Bangalore on Saturday. On Friday advocates made the Black Friday by attacking media persons. --KPNThe arrests came after the media in the state rejected the judicial probe into yesterday’s attack as an "eyewash" and demanded that the guilty advocates be brought to book immediately.

 

 

Special police squads set up by the police nabbed advocates Ranganath, Somesh, Arun Naik and Santosh, Police Commissioner B G Jyoti Prakash Mirji told reporters here as media stepped up pressure meeting Governor H R Bhardwaj and Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda demanding action.

Mirji said 31 cases of rioting and assault had been registered in connection with the unprovoked attack on the journalists, OB vans and police that left at least 20 persons injured and evoked widespread condemnation.

Police also registered a complaint of assault and robbery filed by the driver of Karnataka High Court Judge K L Manjunath. Driver, M S Jagadeeshaiah, said in his complaint that some advocates beat him when he came to the court complex to drop the Judge and robbed him of a gold chain and a cash of Rs 1,900. Courts here remained closed today while prohibitory orders were in force around city civil court complex which witnessed violence when lawyers created ruckus before turning violent protesting presence of media persons to cover the appearance of former minister and mining baron Janardhan Reddy in the CBI court in connection with an illegal mining case.

"It was an intelligence failure. Police should have taken precautions," Bhardwaj told a delegation of media persons, which submitted a memorandum to him seeking his intervention to direct the government to initiate action against culprits.

A delegation of private TV news channels met the chief minister and sought immediate action against the guilty. "We don’t accept judicial probe into the incident. This is nothing but an eyewash. The government is trying to evade from its responsibilities," Suvarna News Head Vishweshwar Bhatt told reporters after meeting Gowda.

Rejecting media apprehensions over judicial probe ordered into the incident, Gowda said it was not an attempt to cover up any lapse, but to come out with a permanent solution to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

He said police have been instructed to take stern action and file criminal charges against the culprits. Bangalore Reporters Guild and print and electronic media took out a rally and submitted a memorandum to the Governor seeking arrest of lawyers involved in the attack.

 

Despite SC ban, court boycott on Monday


In what may be a violation of the Supreme Court direction that Bar Councils cannot call for a boycott of court proceedings, the Karnataka State Bar Council (KSBC) has called upon advocates across the State not to attend courts on Monday.

The boycott is a mark of protest against incidents that KSBC alleged were ‘police atrocities’.

On Saturday, KSBC - for the first time in its history - passed a resolution calling for a boycott.

The members of KSBC, who met in the morning, discussed the clash between the advocates, media and the police and resolved to call for a boycott.

L Srinivasa Babu, Vice President, KSBC, said the meeting also condemned the electronic media’s decision to telecast the one-sided story of assault by advocates. “It is a misuse of the freedom of press. The assault on advocates was missing. We strongly condemn it,” he said.

He said the boycott decision of KSBC has been communicated to the Advocates Association Bangalore, which has also called for boycott of courts the same day. “It has been resolved that the advocates, in any such event, must inform the association about it,” said Sadashiva Reddy, member, KSBC.

Countering the allegations of assault on media, the legal fraternity alleged that several advocates were attacked by the media and the police Friday evening. About 20 advocates were injured and were admitted to various hospitals.  “At least five vehicles were torched by the police. There is evidence for it. Unfortunately, it is not highlighted,” said an advocate.

Though A P Ranganath, General Secretary, AAB suspected the death of three advocates in the attack by police in Facebook, many in the legal fraternity rubbished the claim.