Bar Council's 'ousted' chief cries foul

Anand Kumar Magadum, the ‘ousted’ chairman of the Karnataka State Bar Council (KSBC), has claimed that he would continue to hold the post as the meeting which passed the no trust motion on April 8, was neither legal nor authorised.

“The no-confidence motion adopted by 14 members has no legal sanctity. I will continue to discharge my duties, and if required, with police protection,” Magadum said at a press meet here on Tuesday.

‘English is not a must’

Magadum was unseated through a no confidence motion passed in a meeting of the Council held on April 8. Of the 25 members in the Bar Council, 13 had voted in favour of the motion.

The members cited ‘poor English’ of Magadum as the reason for his ouster.
Magadum said there was no hard and fast rule that the KSBC chairman should be proficient in English.

He said the duration of the chairman’s office was for two years and there was no provision to move a no-confidence motion against the KSBC chairman.

‘Act of vengeance’

Magadum said that some members were against the resolution for an investigation into irregularities in the conduct of the Council elections in 2011 and the golden jubilee celebrations of the Council, and were nursing a grudge against him.