Tensions at the Allahabad High Court continued on Thursday as protesting lawyers allegedly locked a courtroom gate from the outside, preventing fellow advocates from entering and forcing the court to adjourn several matters.
The protest centres on allegations that Justice Ajay Bhanot mistreated a lawyer during a courtroom exchange earlier this week. The latest disruption came before Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal, who recorded the obstruction in an order passed on Thursday.
The judge noted that lawyers had been unable to enter his courtroom because the gate was locked from outside. Referring to Supreme Court rulings on the issue, he observed that preventing an advocate from appearing before a court can amount to contempt of court.
Justice Deshwal also acknowledged that most advocates practising at the High Court are sincere and well-behaved. However, he expressed concern that certain individuals claiming to be High Court lawyers were stopping others from entering the courtroom, despite no call for such action from the Bar Association.
He urged the newly elected leadership of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association to step in and address the situation, stressing the need to preserve the dignity of both the Bar and the Bench.
Dispute over seating arrangements sparks confrontation
The controversy began in Justice Bhanot’s courtroom when a lawyer reportedly objected to a Superintendent of Police occupying a seat generally reserved for advocates. The lawyer asked the officer to move further back.
According to the Bar Association, the judge threatened to send the lawyer to jail and also ridiculed another senior counsel. The association further alleged that a separate chair was being arranged in the courtroom for police officers and other senior officials.
On Tuesday, the Bar Association warned that its members would boycott Justice Bhanot’s court if no action was taken over the incident. Although the association did not formally call for a boycott, lawyers reportedly gathered in protest the following day.
The situation escalated when furniture and other items inside courtroom number 49, where Justice Bhanot was conducting proceedings, were allegedly vandalised.
CCTV footage under scrutiny
The disruption has also prompted judicial action. Justice Deshwal, who heard lawyers raising slogans while he was dealing with a bail matter on Wednesday, directed the Registrar (Protocol) to examine CCTV footage from the area outside his courtroom and identify those allegedly involved.
The court warned that advocates found