Advocate apologises for interfering in judicial process

An advocate apologised to the Special Lokayukta Court on Saturday for sending to it documents which the court felt amounted to interference in the judicial process.

Advocate Ravi S of Ravi Law Associates in Malleswaram posted to the court a letter along with a batch of verdicts pronounced by the High Court and the Supreme Court relating to the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise (NICE).

In his letter, the advocate stated that he decided to send the documents to the court which
has been hearing the issue for several days following a private complaint filed by social activist T J Abraham, after a discussion with his professional colleagues.

“As an officer of the court, I have thought it proper to place these materials before the court,” he said, pointing to a pending PIL filed by former prime minister H D Deve Gowda.

Soon after receiving the post in the morning, the court served a notice on the advocate to appear before it by afterno­on. Judge N K Sudhindra Rao said that he would be writing to the Bar Council, if the advocate did not appear in the court by evening.

However, by afternoon, the Lokayukta police traced the advocate and ensured his presence in the court. The judge sought to know if he had submitted the documents at the instance of any of the accused in the case; the advocate replied in the negative.
Directing Ravi to submit a written apology, the judge observed that the advocate has violated propriety by sending such a letter to the court, which was seized of the matter.
He directed Ravi to appear in the court whenever summoned.  Lokayukta Special Public Prosecutor K K Sitaram said that no audience could be given to the accused when the private complaint was still being presented. “This amounts to scuttling the judicial process,” he remarked.