'Unpardonable': Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Issues Stern Rebuke After Lawyers Force Way Into Courtroom For Holding Political Meeting

Calcutta High Court's Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam, on Friday, issued a stern rebuke against a "nasty incident" at the Court premises where a group of lawyers had entered the chamber of the Registrar General to pressurise office staff to allow them to hold a political gathering inside Courtroom No. 8.

The Chief Justice stated that a group of lawyers, including the Assistant Secretary of the Bar Association Falguni Bandopadhyay and another Advocate Rajesh Shah, forced their way into the courtroom where the meeting was ultimately held.

In expressing strong objection to the incident, the Chief Justice remarked:

This is unacceptable. There are so many important documents in the courtroom. How can a member of the bar threaten the staff members? They opened the court and the meeting took place. Day before yesterday there was a group of 40 lawyers, and the staff are so afraid. This is unacceptable. Sanctity of court must be protected. Have your meetings anywhere else.

The CJ asked the Additional Solicitor General Ashoke Kr Chakrabarti to look into the incident and inform the Advocate General, stating that he was considering locking the courtrooms at 6 pm every day.

He further expressed grave disappointment at the conduct of elected representatives of the Bar Association.

This is unpardonable. How can the staff be threatened? If they feel unsafe where can we go? we have to lock the court at different times. What the staff can do if so many lawyers enter and there is a scuffle? The news is that the meeting concerned a political party. Please do something and inform the AG.  The assistant secretary is an elected member. I welcomed all of them into my chamber and spoke to them with due respect. And this is what they give back?

ASG assured the Court that he would personally look into the incident, and the Chief Justice stated that the names of all involved would be available by tonight and that he would consider referring the matter to a larger bench which had been instituted to examine instances of contempt by practising advocates.