Bangalore: Amid intensified protests by
journalists seeking stronger action for the violence against
them by lawyers, advocates on Monday decided to boycott courts
indefinitely to press for compensation for their colleagues
injured in police baton charge in the civil court complex
here.
The Advocates Association of Bangalore at its meeting
asked the government to grant compensation to advocates
whose vehicles were either torched or damaged in the March 2
incidents during which journalists came under attack from
unruly lawyers.
AAB president KN Subbra Reddy told PTI here that the
meeting reiterated its demand for immediate shifting of DGP
Shankar Bidari, City Police Commissioner B G Jyoti Prakash
Mirji and divesting of Home portfolio from R Asoka.
Meanwhile, Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Vikramajit
Sen deputed senior judge K Sridhar Rao for discussions with
the AAB representatives.
Earlier in the day, a delegation of advocates, led by
Reddy, submitted a memorandum to Governor HR Bhardwaj
demanding action against police who caned advocates.
Continuing their protests for the third consecutive day,
a large number of journalists from various districts marched
from Press Club to Mahatma Gandhi statue on MG Road, shouting
slogans against the government's "inaction" and carrying
banners demanding justice.
The journalists presented a memorandum to Justice Sen and
demanded a CBI probe in case the incident could be probed
outside the judicial purview, or by CID or Lokayukta in case
the probe were to be held within the purview of the state
government.
The memorandum also pleaded that if the government went
ahead with the judicial probe, a judge who has not served in
Karnataka court be appointed to head it.
In another development, a local court granted bail to
four advocates who had been arrested and remanded to judicial
custody on March 3.
PTI
First Published: Monday, March 05, 2012, 22:19