SCBA condemns ransacking of advocate’s home, office by mob in Manipur

SCBA ondemned the ransacking of an advocate's home and office by a mob in Manipur after he represented a Hyderabad University professor hailing from Kuki-Zo community before the High Court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Wednesday condemned the ransacking of an advocate’s home and office by a mob in Manipur after he represented a Hyderabad University professor hailing from Kuki-Zo community before the High Court.

“The Supreme Court Bar Association underlines that lawyers are free to appear for any litigant. Any attempt by any person to intimidate lawyers into not appearing for any party has the effect of interfering in the administration of justice and needs to be condemned in the strongest possible manner,” the SCBA said in a resolution issued under signature of Honorary Secretary Rohit Pandey.

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The top court lawyers’ association said that it has taken serious notice of news reports which have stated that the house and office of Manipur-based advocate Soraisham Chittaranjan was ransacked by some persons because he was representing his client in the capacity of being his advocate. The resolution said that the Supreme Court Bar Association stands in solidarity with Chittaranjan and urged “the state and the Manipur Police to provide adequate protection to the lawyers in question and take immediate effective action against the guilty”.

Professor Kham Khan Suan Hausing, who also heads the political science department at the Hyderabad University, had approached the Supreme Court challenging summons issued by Imphal’s Chief Judicial Magistrate in a criminal complaint lodged against him for allegedly defaming the Meitei community during an interview given to Karan Thapar of The Wire.

The top court on August 14 refused to entertain the plea and asked Hausing to approach the Manipur High Court to pursue legal remedies. However, it had granted him protection against any coercive measure for a period of two weeks as an interim measure.