Bar Council apologises for lawyers attacking journalists at Delhi court
New Delhi: The Bar Council of India on Thursday condemned the attack on journalists at the Patiala House court complex and apologised to media and JNU students’ union leader Kanhaiya Kumar for the same.
The Bar Council of India also sought a report from the Patiala House court bar council in this regard.
Read: Supreme Court orders security for Kanhaiya Kumar
"It is really shocking and first of all I seek apology from the media people, from the journalists because of this misconduct of handful of lawyers of the Patiala House Court," Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra said.
"I seek apology not only from the media people, but also from Kanhaiya Kumar. He has clarified that he has been beaten up by lawyers and others. Therefore, I seek apology from Kanhaiya Kumar also," he added.
Read: Concerned about law and order after court scuffle: SC on JNU row
The Bar Council of India chairman said that a committee headed by a former judge of the High Court has been constituted to look into the matter.
"The committee consists of one senior advocate of the Supreme Court and one member of the Bar Council. We have made a special request to the committee to complete the enquiry and submit its report within a period of three weeks so that we could take strong action against the errant lawyers who are responsible for all these things in the Patiala House Court," said Mishra.
Read: JNU row: There should be no 'Taliban culture' in India, says resigned ABVP members
"Under the Advocates' Act, the Bar Council of India is empowered to cancel the license of any advocate and we can remove their names from the list of advocates. It all depends on the gravity of the offence," he added when asked to what action would be initiated against the erring lawyers.
Earlier on Wednesday, lawyer Vikram Singh Chauhan once again led a group of his colleagues in unleashing a brazen attack on journalists and Kanhaiya Kumar at the Patiala House Court complex.
Read: Kanhaiya Kumar beaten by lawyers in court, to be in jail custody till March 2
The group attacked journalists and Kanhaiya, in open defiance of an order of the Supreme Court, which had directed Delhi Police Commissioner B.S. Bassi to ensure proper and adequate security at the court complex.
Kanhaiya has been sent to Tihar Jail and kept in a separate cell. The concerned jail authorities have sounded a high security alert inside the prison complex and are keeping a round-the-clock watch for Kanhaiya's safety.
read: We were abused, called Pakistan agents: senior lawyers tell Supreme Court
Kanhaiya, who was arrested by the Delhi Police last Friday and has been booked under sedition charge in connection with an event at JNU where anti-national slogans were raised, was yesterday remanded to judicial custody till March 2.
