JNU row: SC to hear plea for action against lawyers tomorrow

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea on Friday seeking contempt action against three lawyers who were allegedly caught on camera ‘bragging and boasting’ that they had beaten up JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar and others, including journalists, in a court complex.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea on Friday seeking contempt action against three lawyers who were allegedly caught on camera ‘bragging and boasting’ that they had beaten up Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others, including journalists, in a court complex.

Hundreds of lawyers in National Capital Region (NCR) staged a march from Patiala House Court to India Gate expressing solidarity with Advocate Vikram Singh Chauhan on Friday. (Arun Sharma/HT)

“Let it be listed tomorrow before the bench concerned,” a bench comprising chief justice TS Thakur and justice UU Lalit said when lawyer Prashant Bhushan sought urgent hearing of the matter filed by another advocate Kamini Jaiswal on the issue.

Bhushan said that a bench headed by justice Chelameswar had fixed another pending matter on JNU issue for hearing on March 10 and the instant plea needed to be heard urgently.

The plea, which was on Wednesday filed in the apex court, also sought a direction to set up a Special Investigation Team to probe the incidents of violent attacks on some journalists, students, teachers, defence lawyers and Kanhaiya on February 15 and 17 by some advocates in the premises of Patiala House courts here during the hearing of the sedition case involving the JNUSU leader.

It has sought “suo motu contempt proceeding” against lawyers Vikram Singh Chauhan, Yashpal Singh and Om Sharma on the ground that they have allegedly been caught on camera talking about the attacks.

It alleged that the lawyers have interfered in the “administration of justice” and willfully violated the orders passed by the apex court on February 17.