The Hindu : Front Page : Telangana lawyers go on rampage in High Court

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Thursday, Sep 16, 2010
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Telangana lawyers go on rampage in High Court

Special Correspondent

Presence of a huge police force fails to prevent unruly scenes by lawyers

HYDERABAD: The functioning of the Andhra Pradesh High Court was paralysed to a large extent for the second consecutive day on Wednesday as pro-Telangana advocates went on a rampage to enforce a boycott call in support of an indefinite hunger strike by three lawyers.

The convenor of the Telangana advocates JAC, S. Satyam Reddy, and two others, G. Jyothi Kiran and Vijay Kumar Goud, are on a fast since Monday near the office of the Advocate General demanding 42 per cent quota in judicial posts and resignation of Advocate General D. V. Seetharama Murthy. The vandalism occurred in spite of the presence of a huge police force that ringed the court complex.

Court halls attacked

In order to ensure that the judicial work did not take place, a large group of slogan-shouting advocates attacked two court halls -- one presided by a Division Bench comprising Justices V. Eashwaraiah and Naushad Ali and the other by Justice Nooty Rama Mohana Rao – even as the judges were on the benches.

The mob threw chairs, books, mikes and podium tables besides breaking racks, tubelights and glass panes in the two court halls.

A cause list was flung at Justice Eashwaraiah who kept appealing to the intruders to observe restraint and talk it out to resolve the issue. An air-conditioner was also damaged in this court.

Unruly scenes

The scenes were worse in the court of Justice Rama Mohana Rao as the group used foul language while indulging in similar vandalism. Court attenders protected the judges from getting hit by books but one of them landed on the court officer. Justice Rao remained a silent spectator throughout the episode and suspended the court after the crowd left.

An attempt to storm the court of Justice C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy, which was targeted on Tuesday too, was thwarted by policemen who closed the door in the pathway.

The High Court bar association president, D. Prakash Reddy, cleared the hall of advocates who were attending to their duties.

The glasspanes of an almirah in the court of Justices A. Gopal Reddy and Raja Elango were broken forcing them to call off the proceedings.

Computer broken

The worst attack was, however, reserved for the chambers of Registrar General S. Sivaiah Naidu in his absence. Two chairs were thrown on his empty seat, a desk top computer and its printer were broken on the ground and phones strewn on the floor as the terrified staff rushed out.

The mob also misbehaved in the chambers of former Advocate General C.V. Mohan Reddy and senior counsel S.R. Ashok.

Corrections and Clarifications

(The news report, “Telangana lawyers go on the rampage in court” (September 16, 2010), referred to pro-Telangana advocates going on a fast demanding 42 per cent quota in judicial posts. They are law officers' posts and not judicial posts.)

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