Lawyers censured for mock funeral of fellow advocate

The High Court of Karnataka on Monday censured lawyers for conducting the “mock funeral” of a fellow advocate who is representing senior police officer B R Ravikanthe Gowda in a case pertaining to the violent clashes that broke out on the City Civil and Sessions Court premises here in 2012.

Senior advocate Hashmath Pasha is representing the IPS officer who has moved the High Court against a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) report which makes certain charges against him with regard to the March 2, 2012, violent clashes between journalists and lawyers. Some lawyers garlanded his photograph in a “mock funeral” recently.

During the hearing of the petition, Justice A N Venugopala Gowda castigated the lawyers and orally directed them to put an end to the confrontation. Expressing shock over the incident, Justice Gowda said, “It is unbecoming of the advocates. I felt very sad when I learnt about the incident. Now, forget all those things. It should not be repeated.”

Observing that advocates and journalists are part of the society, the bench noted, “Advocates are meant to defend the litigants. He (Pasha) is entitled to give legal advice. Legal  profession is a noble profession. You must understand it.”

When it was brought to the judge’s notice that lawyers had passed a resolution not to defend police officers accused in the case, the bench asked them to put an end to the matter.

Justice Gowda also expressed shock over the assault by lawyers on two advocates, both junior colleagues of Pasha’s, when they went to file Vakalath on behalf of the officer.
“What you did is not right,” the judge remarked orally.