The Bar Council of India has suspended licences of 29 lawyers from Odisha for a period of 18 months as they used un-parliamentary words to address judges, pushing and pulling the police officials and obstructing the court proceedings.
An interim order has also been passed by the bar body for suspending practising licence of practice of all the members of Sambalpur District Bar Association (SDBA) until further orders.
The 29 lawyers who have been suspended for 18 months are Sureswar Mishra, Shib Diwan, Pramod Saraf, Satyanaryan Purohit, Srikant Panigrahi, Himansu Panigrahi, Mahendra Badhei, Anup Taria, Silu Mahapatra, Satyanaryan Panda, Prabin Singhdeo, Rabi Pujhari, Suraj Biswal, Chandrakanta Mohanty, Nabin Satpathy, Saroj Sahu, Manoranjan Dash, Manas Mishra, Sameer Mahapatra, Bandita Mishra, Rajib Satpathy, Basanta Mishra, Minketan Bhoi, Ratan Agarwal, Bijetendra Pradhan, Suranjini Barik, Pradeep Bohidar, Babull Panda and Manoranjan Panda.
The BCI will take a final call after getting a report from the registrar as well as the State Bar Council about the other members of Sambalpur District Bar Association who have got their licences suspended in the interim.
Hundreds of advocates, who are demanding a permanent bench of the Orissa High Court at Sambalpur, resorted to violence and vandalism under their protests labelled as ‘Satyagraha.’
After a video clip showing violent protest by lawyers where not only lawyers were protesting but also barging into courtroom and damaging the property by the protest, the BCI decided to order the suspension.
The BCI order came after video clips were brought to its notice, which showed the ‘violent’ protests of lawyers, who went to the extent of barging into courtrooms and damaging properties there.
A BCI member issued a statement that the video clearly discloses that almost all the lawyers practicing there (Males and Females) were indulged in shouting slogans, burning effigies of judges and office bearers of Bar Council of India and State Bar Council.
It further said that many of them were entering in the court room and damaging the computer sets and other properties inside and outside the court rooms.
The BCI also said that the members of Sambalpur District Bar Association are also seen manhandling the police officers and personnel fighting and abusing them,”a statement issued by the BCI on Monday said.
The BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra condemned the act and has suspended 29 of the striking advocates for a period of 18 months with immediate effect.
The BCI clearly said that the video shows that Members of SDBA have neither any respect for the BCI nor for the serious concern expressed by the Apex Court.
The BCI further said that the video is not only disturbing, but, also shows the insult of the institution.
BCI said that this type of hooliganism will never allow such advocates to continue in the noble profession.
The BCI also sought details of other members of the SDBA apart from the above 29 names, so that their details could be circulated in courts, tribunals and other forums across India so as to disallow them from practising anywhere