High Court stays advocates' boycott

 
The Association had passed the resolution on November 4 to protest against Chief Justice P D Dinakaran sitting through the court proceedings, despite an ongoing inquiry into allegations of corruption and land grabbing against him.

A division bench comprising Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice B V Nagarathna, granted the stay after a day long hearing, in a packed courtroom.

A writ petition filed on Friday by M P Gundappa challenging the legality of the boycott call, had been transferred to a division bench on Friday, as Justice Ajit J Gunjal had determined that the petitioner’s prayer was public in nature.

The Advocates Association of Bangalore, President K N Puttegowda, said that all the members of the Association were bound by the resolution and they would go ahead with the boycott on November 9.

Meanwhile, an altercation ensued between two groups of advocates at the High Court, after the matter was stayed.

The fierce war of words, between those supporting the boycott and those opposing threatened to go out of control, but the situation was defused by other advocates present at the hearing.