Special Correspondent
— Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan
FREE FOR ALL: A group of lawyers clash on the court premises in Salem on Thursday. SALEM: Tension prevailed in the integrated court complex here on Thursday when two groups of lawyers exchanged blows following a wordy duel over the continuation of indefinite boycott of court. No one was injured.
A group of lawyers, owing allegiance to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), resumed work today, defying the boycott call. Their law officers also attended the proceedings in various courts, which evoked a protest from a section of lawyers in the Salem Bar Association. However senior lawyers intervened and pacified them.
After attending the proceedings in courts, the DMK lawyers tried to enter the office of the Salem Bar Association to which the members of the Bar objected. This led to a heated exchange of words, which resulted in a scuffle. The members of the Bar charged that the lawyers’ wing of DMK had brought a few “outsiders, including non-practicing advocates and thugs”, into the court premises.
“In fact we first asked the outsiders to vacate our premises. But when they refused, a few of our members forced them out,” said the Salem Bar Association secretary V.S. Vivekanandan.
He said the Bar had reported the matter to the Principal District Judge. An urgent meeting of the Bar would be held soon to decide the future course of action, he added. Meanwhile, a senior police official told The Hindu that no complaint had been received in connection with the Thursday’s incident.
http://www.thehindu.com/2009/03/13/stories/2009031357310600.htm
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