KOCHI: The Kerala High Court Advocates Association (KHCAA) has suspended Senior Advocate George Poonthottam for attending a meeting called by the Chief Justice without obtaining prior permission from the association.
The meeting was aimed at settling the issue concerning Justice A. Badharudeen’s alleged rude behaviour towards a woman lawyer. Poonthottam attended the meeting with the woman lawyer.
The decision to suspend Poonthottam was taken during the KHCAA’s general body meeting on Monday, where it was also decided to initiate disciplinary proceedings against him. Additionally, the association resolved to refrain from continuing its boycott of Justice Badharudeen’s court.
Previously, the association had decided to boycott Justice Badharudeen’s court following a resolution moved by Senior Advocate George Poonthottam and other lawyers on Friday. The lawyers demanded that the judge tender a public apology, citing an incident in which he allegedly insulted and humiliated a female advocate. The advocate, the widow of the late Advocate Alex Scaria, had sought additional time to file the vakalath after her husband's passing.
Advocate Scaria had passed away on January 8, 2025, and when a case he had represented was called on March 6, his wife - also a lawyer - appeared in court, informed Justice Badharudeen of his death, and requested more time. According to the resolution, the judge responded rudely, asking, "Who is Alex Scaria?" The lawyers further alleged that he continued his rude behaviour even after seeing Scaria’s widow in tears.
On March 8, the woman lawyer sent a letter to the association requesting that all further steps regarding the incident be dropped. She stated that Justice A. Badharudeen had expressed deep regret in the presence of Chief Justice A. Muhammed Mustaque and Senior Advocate George Poonthottam.
In a letter to the Chief Justice, KHCAA President Yeshwanth Shenoy criticised the meeting, stating that it was held without the knowledge of the association’s president or general body. He argued that the general body had decided to boycott Justice Badharudeen’s court due to his general misconduct towards advocates, and the incident involving the woman lawyer was merely a trigger point.
Shenoy further noted that neither the Chief Justice, George Poonthottam, nor the woman lawyer had informed him about the meeting held on March 7 in the Chief Justice’s chambers. He condemned what he described as "backdoor management," stating that such actions had long undermined the association’s decisions, often serving individual interests rather than those of the legal community.