Eight more TN lawyers suspended from practice

CHENNAI: The Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on Thursday suspended eight lawyers from practising in any court or tribunal for having had a run in with Central Industrial Security Force (CSIF) personnel on the Madras high court premises.
On November 20, a group of lawyers had a heated argument with CISF personnel after a woman advocate was frisked with a hand-held metal detector by a woman CISF personnel.The lawyers alleged that the frisking process was filmed by another CISF man. After the argument, they tore down the screen and smashed the table.
Senior commandant of the CISF took serious note of the incident and sent complaints to the high court, Bar Council of India and headquarters of the CISF. While the Chennai city police registered an FIR against nine named advocates and 'others', the Bar Council of India advised its unit in Tamil Nadu to issue them a showcause notice and take stringent action.
Accordingly, D Selvam, chairman of Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, obtained opinion of other members of the council over phone and by email and issued prohibitory orders banning eight advocates from practising before any court or tribunal for a period of eight weeks.
"A majority of our Council members have approved the suspension, and individual orders would be served on the advocates concerned in an hour," Selvam told TOI, adding that the identity of one more advocate named in the complaint was being verified.
With this, the total number of advocates remaining suspended in Tamil Nadu reaches 46.
While 14 were suspended by the BCI in a direct action for having taken out rallies and violent processions in Madurai, 20 others were suspended on Tuesday -- 10 for laying a daylong siege to Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul's court on September 14, seven for holding noisy and disruptive protests on the high court premises on September 16 and three for having had drinks on the court campus and creating trouble.
Two others were suspended on the orders of the high court for having levelled allegations against judges hearing their cases without any basis.