Deve Gowda’s Nandi Infrastructure Enterprises ways divide advocates

The red-ribbon protest planned by the Karnataka State Bar Council (KSBC) against former prime minister and Janata Dal-Secular JD(S) chief HD Deve Gowda fell through on Monday as a few advocates did not allow it to happen. The council was aggrieved by Gowda’s use of abusive language against
Karnataka advocate-general Ashok Haranahalli in connection with the Nandi Infrastructure Enterprises (NICE) project.

On Sunday, the council adopted a resolution to hold the symbolic protest in front of the high court in support of Haranahalli. When the protest began around 10 am on Monday, about 25 advocates were busy distributing red ribbons.

But some advocates did not support the protest, saying the council had remained a mute spectator during the lawyers’ agitation against the embattled Karnataka chief justice, PD Dinakaran. They said that the council was supporting Haranahalli only because he was its member. He did not deserve any support since he was an employee of the government that had done nothing to remove Dinakaran, they said. Also, the bar association had not passed any resolution to protest against Gowda’s alleged remarks, they said.

The two opposing groups then got into an argument. After about 45 minutes, they dispersed. Later, around 12.45 pm, many advocates at the high court wore the red ribbons. But two of them were manhandled, pushed and shoved, by those against the protest in front of court halls 14, 13, 12. The red ribbons were also snatched from their black coats.

Jayakumar Patil, the new chairman of the council, said the resolution was first adopted by the local member committee on Friday and then by the general bar council on Sunday. “The red-ribbon protest did not take place because a group of lawyers supporting the JD(S) did not allow it to happen,” he alleged.

Bangalore Advocates’ Association president KN Putte Gowda said the association was not part of the protest since “we had not passed any such resolution”.In the lower court, a signature campaign was carried out in favour of Deve Gowda. Lawyers in the city civil court were divided. Some protested against the council’s resolution, while a few others raised their voices against Deve Gowda.