<p>Tension prevailed in the 9th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Wednesday when Vishveshwar Bhat, editor of ‘Kannada Prabha’ newspaper, appeared before it following a non-bailable arrest warrant issued against him in connection with a defamation case filed in 2008.<br /><br /></p>.<p>As Bhat stepped into the court with police protection in the morning, expecting trouble from advocates whom he had allegedly antagonised over the March 2 violence on the high court premises, the lawyers protested that Bhat, an accused having a non-bailable warrant against him, cannot be given police protection. They also demanded that he be arrested immediately.<br /><br />Chaos prevailed and the judge ordered that there has to be a fair hearing of both sides before any decision is taken in the case, and adjourned the court to 3:30 pm. He sent Bhat to police custody till afternoon. <br /><br />When he was produced before the court later, a large number of advocates gathered in the complex, and tried to prevent their colleagues from defending him.<br /><br />The Advocates Association Bangalore has decided not to defend any mediaperson after the March 2 face-off between journalists and the men in black.<br /><br />However, the hearing did take place and the court took Bhat to task for not receiving seven successive summons. Finally, the judge withdrew the non-bailable warrant issued against him, with a Rs 25,000 surety. He also levied Rs 10,000 as fine for wasting the valuable time of the court.<br /><br />In the evening, as Bhat emerged from the court, some advocates allegedly tried to assault him. <br /><br />Two other journalists from the daily were chased around in the court premises in the afternoon.<br /></p>
<p>Tension prevailed in the 9th Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Wednesday when Vishveshwar Bhat, editor of ‘Kannada Prabha’ newspaper, appeared before it following a non-bailable arrest warrant issued against him in connection with a defamation case filed in 2008.<br /><br /></p>.<p>As Bhat stepped into the court with police protection in the morning, expecting trouble from advocates whom he had allegedly antagonised over the March 2 violence on the high court premises, the lawyers protested that Bhat, an accused having a non-bailable warrant against him, cannot be given police protection. They also demanded that he be arrested immediately.<br /><br />Chaos prevailed and the judge ordered that there has to be a fair hearing of both sides before any decision is taken in the case, and adjourned the court to 3:30 pm. He sent Bhat to police custody till afternoon. <br /><br />When he was produced before the court later, a large number of advocates gathered in the complex, and tried to prevent their colleagues from defending him.<br /><br />The Advocates Association Bangalore has decided not to defend any mediaperson after the March 2 face-off between journalists and the men in black.<br /><br />However, the hearing did take place and the court took Bhat to task for not receiving seven successive summons. Finally, the judge withdrew the non-bailable warrant issued against him, with a Rs 25,000 surety. He also levied Rs 10,000 as fine for wasting the valuable time of the court.<br /><br />In the evening, as Bhat emerged from the court, some advocates allegedly tried to assault him. <br /><br />Two other journalists from the daily were chased around in the court premises in the afternoon.<br /></p>
