BANGALORE: Chaos reigned in Karnataka High Court premises on Monday when a section of agitating advocates disrupted proceedings and locked up two judges in a court hall during a protest against the continuance of Chief Justice P D Dinakaran, who is facing land grabbing charge.
Members of the Advocates Association of Bangalore (AAB) barged into the court hall of Justice Dinakaran and shouted slogans against him, forcing him to leave the hall but he resumed sitting later amid tight police security.
Efforts by the Chief Justice to explain himself were drowned out by the loud slogans of the protesters, some of whom also roughed up their colleagues sitting in the court hall for refusing to join the stir.
Pandemonium prevailed in the court premises as the lawyers disrupted proceedings and forced some judges who were hearing cases to suspend the proceedings.
Justices V Gopala Gowda and Nagaratna who refused to suspend hearing of cases were locked within the court hall and the power supply cut off for an hour, which both described as a "great shame." Protesters also broke a book shelf.
A camera man of a private channel was assaulted by protesters for trying to record the happenings. The channel later filed an FIR with the police.
Meanwhile in Tamil Nadu, police thwarted a bid by a CPI(M) affiliated farmers' body to forcibly enter land allegedly encroached by Justice Dinakaran, arresting 300 protesters at Tiruvallur near Kaverirajapuram, his native village.