Kolkata, Jan 16 (PTI) Days after protests were held outside the court of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha of the Calcutta High Court, a fact-finding team, appointed by the Bar Council of India, on Monday held separate meetings with the registrar general and the president of the Bar Association over the issue.
The three-member panel also interacted with Bar Council of West Bengal chairman Ashok Deb.
One of the panel members met Advocate General S N Mookerjee later in the day.
The committee, comprising senior advocates Ravindra Raizada and Ashok Mehta and advocate Bandana Kaur Grover, however, refused to divulge the outcome of the meetings to the media, stating that the issue was subjudice as a suo-motu contempt order over it is pending hearing.
Protests were held by a section of lawyers outside Justice Mantha’s courtroom on January 9 over certain orders passed by him. Posters listing allegations against him were found pasted outside his residence here.
“As far as fact finding is concerned, a criminal contempt is pending. To make any comment about that will not be right,” Mehta said.
“The matter is sub judice and a report has to be submitted… yes, the incident has taken place,” Mehta said, when enquired about the protests, and the meeting with high court registrar general Chaitali Chatterjee and Bar Association president Arunabha Ghosh.
Asked if they have seen the CCTV footage of the protests outside the court of Justice Mantha on January 9, the members refused to comment.
“We have had a good discussion with the Bar Association president,” Mehta told reporters.
The BCI, in its January 12 order for formation of fact-finding committee, sought a report before it by January 17.
It said that the committee was formed following a representation given to it by several advocates in Delhi over the incident.
The chief justice of the Calcutta High Court has constituted a three-judge special bench to hear the suo motu rule of contempt order issued by Justice Mantha against a section of advocates and some other persons, who allegedly blocked his courtroom and locked it from outside.
Issuing the Rule of Contempt, Justice Mantha said that the acts amount to interference in the administration of justice.
A section of West Bengal Bar Council members, on Monday, wore black tags on their dresses to protest what they termed as “arbitrary/one-sided issue of rule to stop/curtail the right of lawyers to protest without giving an opportunity of being heard”.
Some lawyers also held a rally outside the high court, supporting them.
At least two other rallies by lawyers opposing the protests in front of Justice Mantha’s courtroom were also taken out during the day. PTI AMR RMS RMS
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