CAA: Plea in HC for contempt action against lawyers

A group of lawyers on Friday asked the Delhi High Court to initiate suo motu contempt action against those who cried “shame shame” after refusal of interim protection to protesters in the incidents of arson and stone-pelting during Sunday's agitation at Jamia Millia Islamia against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Senior advocates Chetan Sharma and Sanjay Poddar, several central government standing counsels, including Anil Soni, Ripudaman Singh Bhardwaj, Ajay Digpaul, Vivek Goyal and Arun Bhardwaj, and leaders of the Bar including Abhijat, were at the forefront of the lawyers who asked the high court to take cognisance of the "disrespectful" and "derogatory" conduct towards the judiciary.

After hearing the lawyers, a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar said it will refer the matter to one of its relevant committees, which will deliberate on what needs to be done.

On Thursday, several lawyers appearing in petitions filed in relation to violence at Jamia University, shouted “shame shame” against the bench when it declined to grant interim protection to students from arrest.

Sharma said use of derogatory words against the judges was "sacrilege" of the judiciary and "a lesson has to go" that such conduct would not be tolerated. He urged the court to "take suo motu (on its own) contempt action against these lawyers to prevent repetition of such an event in future".

Poddar said such conduct amounts to "disrespecting the judiciary and the bar" and action needs to be taken. The central government standing counsels urged the bench to "take strict action against whosoever used the derogatory words".

They also asked the court to direct the Bar Council of India to take action against the errant lawyers and use CCTV footage from inside the courtroom to identify the persons.