Police called after chaotic scenes at HC premises

High Court impasse

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, Sept 2: A chaotic situation was witnessed in the premises of the Gauhati High Court as the agitation of the bar association who are demanding removal of the Chief Justice (acting) K Shreedhar Rao entered the seventeenth day today.

The agitating members of the bar gathered in front of the Court No 2 where the Justice Rao was sitting in a division bench with Justice PK Saikia. None of the government advocates and Central government standing counsels appeared before the court of Chief Justice today.

The situation prompted the court to call the police commissioner Mukesh Agarwal. The police commissioner had a discussion with the officials of the Registry of the High Court.

In another development, PIL No. 91/2015 and WP (C) No. 5299/2015 filed by senior advocates Benu Dhar Das and Bhaskar Dev Konwar were taken up by the division bench of Justice T. Vaiphei and Suman Shyam. A miscellaneous application was moved by advocate Das in the PIL drawing attention of the court to the call of boycott of the court of the Chief Justice.

Advocate Konwar apprised the division bench that he was intimidated and obstructed from appearing before the court of Chief Justice, which was denied by the counsel of the association.

The PIL along with the writ petition is listed for Friday next for further hearing.

"Due to the impasse created by the boycott of the Court of the Chief Justice, the litigants have been the worst sufferers. Such action has a direct impact in the administration of justice and is not healthy for the institution. Good sense should prevail and the logjam of the court must be avoided," said advocate Konwar.