Ex-CJ offers to mediate between media, lawyers

Former Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court S R Bannurmath has said that he would be happy to mediate and resolve issues between the advocates, mediapersons and police, if the government desired so.

Justice Bannurmath, who was in Dharwad on Saturday to inaugurate a seminar, said the rift between advocates and media was not a good development and needed to be resolved at the earliest, so was the face-off between the lawyers and policemen.

Asserting that the Supreme Court had repeatedly asked lawyers not to boycott the courts, Justice Bannurmath said boycotting the courts would lead to delay in delivery of justice.

He said the litigants and the general public would be put through a lot of hardship by doing so, and appealed the legal fraternity to return to courts. “They can protest in a peaceful manner without affecting the judicial process,” he said.

Replying to a question, Justice Bannurmath said the judicial inquiry into the unsavoury incidents that occurred on the Civil Courts complex premises in Bangalore would be impartial.  

Those found guilty would be severely punished, he said.