Allahabad High Court Lawyers Protest Against Justice Ajay Bhanot; Courtroom Vandalised

Allahabad High Court Protest: In what has put the  Bar-Bench relationship under severe strain, lawyers at the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday, October 28, raised slogans against Justice Ajay Bhanot for humiliating a lawyer in his courtroom on Tuesday, October 27. The security personnel had to escort the judge out through the rear door. A group of lawyers subsequently vandalised his courtroom for humiliating a lawyer and showing disrespect to a senior counsel. Earlier, the High Court Bar Association expressed displeaure over the conduct of the High Court judge in a letter to Chief Justice Arun Bhansali. 

The controversy erupted over Justice Bhanot threatening to send the lawyer to jail for asking a police officer sitting behind the Additional Advocate General to go the back row. After the lawyer sought pardon, Justice Bhanot further humiliated him by asking him to apologise to the police officer. Justice Bhanot pointed finger at the lawyer and used harsh language after the Additional Advocate General complained against him to the bench. The lawyers were unhappy over special treatement being given to police officers in the courtroom of Justice Bhanot.

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The Association has theatened to escalate the matter by boycotting his court if appropiate steps were not taken by the Chief Justice to resolve the matter. The Bar-Bench conflict in Allahabad should be a cause of concern for the judiciary. The protest from within is likely to harm the judiciary at a time when common people are raising voice even against the Supreme Court. 

A stray observation by Chief Justice Surya Kant had led to formation of Cockroach Janata Party causing great embarassment to the judiciary. Recently, Congress leaders had organised a march to the Supreme Court to register their protest against the Chief Election Commissioner who had allegedly manipulated the Special Intensive Revision of the voter list just before elections in Bihar and West Bengal. It is being alleged that the CEC managed to favour the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) despite the pendency of the matter before tbe Supreme Court.

While the judiciary was already grappling with these issues, former Supreme Court judge, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul raised questions on the functioning of the collegium system in his autobiography.