Striking Chennai lawyers to demonstrate on Monday

Chennai, Mar 8 (ANI): Lawyers attached with the Madras High Court on Sunday announced that they would participate in a demonstration outside the court premises on Monday.

The committee has also decided to be absent from the welcome address to new Chief Justice of the High Court, Justice Hemant Laxman Gokhale.

However, to "maintain the healthy traditions of the legal fraternity of Tamil Nadu", the State-level Joint Action Committee of Advocates (JACA) has allowed office-bearers to attend the swearing-in ceremony on Monday.

The agitating lawyers have dismissed the interim report of Justice B.N. Srikrishna, named by the Supreme Court to probe the February 19 lawyers-police clash at the Madras High Court.

Committee Chairman R.C. Paul Kanagaraj maintained that the report was "wholly without basis."

It strongly condemned the "unwarranted comments made against the advocates and judges" in the report and criticised the Tamil Nadu Government for "protecting and shielding the DGP, the Commissioner of Police and other police officers who indulged in the brutal attack on judiciary and lawyers."

The Supreme Court had on March 6 referred the report of Justice B. N. Srikrishna to the Madras High Court.

The report stated the provocation came from striking advocates, and in retaliation, the police used "excess force and exceeded its limits" by entering the High Court premises and chambers of advocates.The report said the lawyers behaved like hooligans and miscreants and criticised them for their unruly behaviour. The report also targeted the acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court for his 'soft attitude' towards striking. (ANI)