Lawyers' strike 'indefinite'

The Advocates’ Association of Bangalore late on Monday gave a call for indefinitely boycotting the courts all over the state until their demands, which include transferring state police chief Shankar M Bidari and Bangalore police commissioner BG Jyothi Prakash Mirji, were met. The Karnataka Bar Council, too, is backing the call for the indefinite boycott.

The association president, KN Subba Reddy, detailing the strong list of lawyers’ demands, told DNA, “We want the electronic media and the press to apologise for showing us in bad light. We demand the resignation of law minister (Suresh Kumar) and the home minister (R Ashoka). The police should also be kept at a distance from the courts. While the press persons should be allowed inside with passes, a separate place should  be set aside for the electronic media. Even the Lokayukta court should be transferred to Parappanna Agraha as high-profile cases come there. There should be an inquiry into Friday’s (March 2) incident. And compensation should be given to all the lawyers whose two-wheelers and four-wheelers were damaged. Until these demands are met, the boycott will go on.”

A resolution will be placed before the association’s general body on Tuesday.

Former chairman of State Bar Council, Sadashiv Reddy, said “As Bar Council members we stand by the indefinite boycott called by the advocates’ association.”