Patiala court incident a black mark on judiciary: DV Sadananda Gowda

Bengaluru: Union Minister for Law and Justice D.V. Sadananda Gowda has condemned the unruly behavior of advocates at Delhi’s Patiala House court premises where advocates assaulted Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is facing sedition charges.

Speaking to reporters here on Thursday, Mr Gowda said “The Patiala court incident is a black mark on the Indian judiciary. Lawyers should not take the law into their hands. I strongly condemn this act of the advocates who assaulted the accused inside the court hall. The court should be meant to deliver justice, not for this kind of activity.”

The law minister also stressed the need for comprehensive amendments to the Advocates Act to prevent advocates from taking the law into their hands.

“I will speak to the Chairman of Bar Council of India (BCI) in this regard. Even BCI has suggested amendments to the Advocates Act, I will look into the suggestions of BCI”, Mr Gowda said.

“The conduct of advocates should be above board. The BCI should take action to check fake advocates who enters the court premises. Since the Supreme Court has taken cognizance of the matter, the court will take an appropriate decision,” the Union Law and Justice Minister said.