KOCHI: The Kerala High Court lawyers have decided to boycott Justice Badharudeen until he tenders a public apology for his harsh interaction with the widow of the late Advocate Alex M Scaria. The exchange left her in tears during court proceedings on Thursday.
Advocate Alex Scaria passed away on January 7, 2025. When a case he had represented was called on March 6, his wife, also a lawyer, appeared in court, informed Justice Badharudeen of his passing, and requested additional time to update the vakalath. The resolution moved by the lawyers pointed out that the judge's response to the request was allegedly rude, as he asked, "Who is Alex Scaria?" They further alleged that the judge continued his rude behavior even after seeing Scaria’s widow in tears, according to the resolution.
A large number of lawyers gathered in Justice Badharudeen's court during the morning session, demanding an apology from the judge in open court. However, Justice Badharudeen did not attend the proceedings. Later, a notice issued by the Registrar (Judicial) informed that he would not be sitting on Friday. It also stated that urgent matters listed before him would be taken up by Justice Johnson John.
Following the lawyers' request, the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association convened a general body meeting and decided to boycott Justice Badharudeen's court. Meanwhile, the Association has rejected Justice Badharudeen's offer to apologize in his chambers instead of in open court.
This is not the first time lawyers have made protests against Justice Badharudeen's conduct. In February last year, the KHCAA wrote a letter to the Chief Justice complaining about the misbehavior by the Judge and demanded a video recording of the courts. It was after a lawyer KCAA alleging that Justice A Badharudeen forced him to argue a case despite seeking an adjournment citing severe back pain. In his letter, Advocate Jayakumar Namboodiri T V stated that the attitude of the single judge was inhuman and discourteous.