PRAYAGRAJ While terming the ruckus created by a section of lawyers as ‘contemptuous’, the Allahabad high court on Wednesday directed its registrar (protocol) to get the CCTV footage and identify the lawyers involved in the incident, so that contempt proceedings could be initiated against them.
Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal passed the above order when during the time of hearing of a case, some advocates started raising their voice in the corridor outside his court (court no 66), which interrupted court proceedings.
A lawyer present in the court informed that certain advocates were protesting against the unfortunate incident that took place in court no 49 on Tuesday relating to the dignity of advocates. Taking a serious note of it, the court observed: “Such incident amounts to interference of the court proceedings as poor litigants come to the high court for redressal of their grievances, and merely because some of the advocates have problem with a particular court, they cannot be permitted to raise slogans, shout and disturb other court proceedings and use such words which is in the nature to intimidate the court. This is wholly unjustified. Therefore, this court is of the view that such conduct of some advocates is absolutely contempt.”
On Monday, an advocate inside court room of court no 49 asked a senior police officer to sit behind and not in the front row as it is for lawyers. Later, state counsel informed this incident to Justice Ajay Bhanot, who asked the lawyer to say sorry to the police officer. This incident infuriated a section of lawyers as they termed it as an attack on their dignity.
{{/usCountry}}On Monday, an advocate inside court room of court no 49 asked a senior police officer to sit behind and not in the front row as it is for lawyers. Later, state counsel informed this incident to Justice Ajay Bhanot, who asked the lawyer to say sorry to the police officer. This incident infuriated a section of lawyers as they termed it as an attack on their dignity.
{{/usCountry}}On Wednesday, they broke seats of court number 49, where this incident had taken place and after that raised slogans in the corridor of the high court.
In a letter dated October 27, 2026, addressed to the chief justice of the Allahabad high court through the registrar general, the newly elected office-bearers of the Bar Association sought appropriate action over the incident stated to have occurred in Justice Bhanot’s court on the same day.
According to the letter, Justice Bhanot had instituted a practice of keeping a separate chair in the next row for a police officer or another senior official who might attend his courtroom. The association alleged that, during the proceedings, a police officer holding the rank of superintendent of police was sitting in the row behind the additional government advocate (AGA). It further stated that an advocate had respectfully asked the officer to sit behind, saying, “Yeh aapki seat nahin hai” (this is not your seat).
The letter stated that the AGA rebuked the advocate and said that he would be complaining to the judge. It further alleged that, after Justice Bhanot entered the courtroom, the AGA complained about the advocate, following which the judge pointed a finger at him and, in harsh words, ordered that he be sent to jail. According to the association, when the advocate sought forgiveness, the judge directed and compelled him to apologise to the police officer.
The association also alleged that Justice Bhanot also mocked senior advocate VP Srivastava, who was present in the courtroom and said the incident had seriously affected the dignity of advocates. Describing the alleged conduct as contemptuous, the association urged the chief justice to take serious note of the matter and initiate appropriate action. The letter warned that, if appropriate action was not taken, the Allahabad High Court Bar Association would boycott Justice Bhanot’s court.
The association also objected to this new practice pertaining to preferential seating in the courtroom. “If the court is free to insult a lawyer, then the lawyer will also not hesitate to insult the court,” the letter added.
The letter was signed by the association’s newly elected president, senior advocate Dr CP Upadhyay and general secretary, advocate Santosh Kumar Mishra.