Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee President V.M. Sudheeran on Saturday condemned the act by some lawyers of threatening and ejecting a group of journalists from the Kerala High Court premises where they had gone on official work.
Lawyers in Kerala have been up in arms against journalists after local media reported the case of a government pleader, Dhanesh Mathew Manjooran allegedly attempting to molest a woman in Kochi in July.
Since then, journalists have faced the wrath of lawyers at court premises across the state, making it difficult to report developments in courts.
On Thursday, a group of journalists were expelled from the high court premises by lawyers when they went there on reporting work, triggering fresh controversy.
“This is goondaism by lawyers”, said KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran adding that the state government was not taking a helpful attitude in the matter.
Sudheeran said lawyers were taking advantage of the chief minister’s silence on the issue, and demanded that the chief minister, speaker of the assembly, the state governor and others concerned come together to take appropriate decisions on this issue at the earliest.
Sudheeran said a few lawyers were tarnishing the image of the entire lawyer fraternity and called on the bar association to bring to book the offending members.
Opposition leader, Ramesh Chennithala spoke in support of media persons and alleged that it was the stand of the Left Democratic Front government that had led to the present situation in courts.
Supreme Court justice Kurian Joseph also remarked that the threat faced by media persons in reporting court proceedings was “painful”.
