Palaniswami, AIADMK members held for staging protest, as rival faction attends Assembly
Chennai (PTI): The Opposition AIADMK presented a picture of contrast on Wednesday with former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam attending the Assembly session while the leader of opposition K Palaniswami staged a protest here, demanding that the Speaker de-recognise the former as deputy floor leader of the party.
The principal opposition had boycotted the last day of the three-day Assembly session today to seek the Assembly Speaker to accept the party's R B Udayakumar as the new deputy floor leader, replacing Panneerselvam, who has been removed from the party.
Clad in black shirts and white dhotis, the AIADMK members gathered in large numbers at the historic Valluvar Kottam here to stage a fast agitation demanding that Udayakumar be allotted Panneerselvam's chair in the Assembly. They raised slogans denouncing the ruling DMK. The party's women cadres turned up for the agitation wearing black sarees.
The police however detained Palaniswami, who is AIADMK's interim general secretary, along with his party members for staging a fast agitation without police permission. As a result, hundreds of agitating members were shifted to the Rajarathnam stadium, here, before being released.
Speaking to reporters at the stadium, Palaniswami alleged "murder of democracy" and accused Chief Minister M K Stalin of attempting to 'demolish' the AIADMK through Panneerselvam.
When the police, present on the occasion, objected to giving byte to the media, a visibly annoyed Palaniswami raised his voice against the police. Immediately, the party members shouted at the police and Palaniswami had to restrain the AIADMK members.
Resuming after the brief disruption, he announced that the agitation would continue till Udayakumar is accepted by the Assembly Speaker and made to occupy Panneerselvam's chair, next to him.
"The Speaker (M Appavu) says Panneerselvam continues to be the deputy floor leader. This is injustice and biased, as Panneerselvam has been expelled from the party three months ago," Palaniswami said.
Even the three legislators who supported Panneerselvam have been removed from the AIADMK and the party's general council elected former state minister R B Udayakumar as deputy floor leader, he said.
"Normally, the Chief Minister or leader of the opposition is decided by the respective party MLAs and not the Assembly. The Chief Minister would forfeit his position if a majority of party MLAs withdraw support and the same yardstick applies to the deputy floor leader," Palaniswami argued.
Palaniswami and the MLAs supporting him, skipped the first day of the Assembly session on Monday to participate in the party's foundation day celebrations. Panneerselvam who attended the Assembly had celebrated the day separately with his supporters.
On Tuesday, Palaniswami and his party MLAs were evicted from the Assembly House for causing a commotion over seating arrangement.
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BCI urges CJI to take action against Andhra HC judge for sending young lawyer to 24-hour custody
New Delhi (PTI): The Bar Council of India on Wednesday sought the urgent intervention of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant following a "deeply disturbing" incident where a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court reportedly sent a young advocate to
24-hour judicial custody over a procedural lapse.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairperson and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, in a formal representation, termed the conduct of Justice Tarlada Rajasekhar Rao "grossly inappropriate" and "damaging to the confidence of the Bar".
“I most respectfully request your Lordship to kindly take immediate institutional cognizance of the matter and call for the video recording of the proceedings, the order passed, and the surrounding circumstances.
“I further request that appropriate administrative action may kindly be considered, including withdrawal of judicial work from the learned Judge pending review, his immediate transfer to some far off High Court, and his nomination for appropriate judicial training/orientation on court management, judicial temperament, Bar-Bench relations, and proportional exercise of contempt/judicial authority,” Mishra wrote.
This representation is made to preserve the “dignity, moral authority and public confidence of the judiciary”, he said, adding, “Judges command the highest respect not by fear, but by fairness, patience, restraint and constitutional humility”.
The communication urged the CJI to intervene at the earliest to ensure that the faith of Bar, particularly young advocates, in the protective and corrective role of the judiciary is restored.
The controversy stems from proceedings on May 5.
According to the BCI, a video circulating online shows Justice Rao rebuking a young advocate who was unable to produce a specific order copy during a hearing.
The letter said that despite the advocate "repeatedly seeking pardon and mercy" and claiming he was in physical pain, the judge remained "unmoved".
The judge allegedly told the lawyer, "now you will learn," and mocked his experience before directing the Registrar and police personnel to take him into custody for 24 hours.
The BCI chairperson said that the judge’s actions lacked proportionality and fairness.
"The dignity of the court is not enhanced when a lawyer is made to beg for grace in open court and is still sent to custody for a procedural lapse," the letter said.
"A young lawyer... is an officer of the Court, still learning, still growing, and entitled to correction without humiliation," it added.
The bar body said that such actions create a "chilling effect" on the legal fraternity, particularly among junior members, and undermine the mutual respect required between the Bench and the Bar.
