Failure to surrender Sanad: Karnataka HC issues notice to 9 lawyer-turned-politicians

The Karnataka High Court has issued notice to nine lawyer-turned-politicians who are accused of drawing a salary without surrendering their enrolment licence to the Karnataka State Bar Council..The nine persons include Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Union Law Minister DV Sadananda Gowda..According to The New Indian Express, the notice was issued in an appeal filed by the Anti-Corruption Council of India Trust against a decision of the Karnataka Lokayukta..Besides Siddaramaiah and Gowda, notice has also been issued to Mallikarjuna Kharge, RV Deshpande, HK Patil, TB Jayachandra, former Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily, former minister S Suresh Kumar and VS Ugrappa..The Lok Ayukta had dismissed the petition filed by the petitioner Trust in January this year. The nine politicians, who are all enrolled advocates, were facing charges of criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act in a private complaint filed by Anti-Corruption Council of India Trust..The complainant accused them of drawing a salary without surrendering their enrolment licence to the Karnataka State Bar Council. Section VII of Chapter II of the Bar Council of India Rules lays down certain restrictions on practising advocates as regards taking up other employments..Rule 49 states:.“An advocate shall not be a full-time salaried employee of any person, government, firm, corporation or concern, so long as he continues to practise, and shall, on taking up any such employment, intimate the fact to the Bar Council on whose roll his name appears and shall thereupon cease to practise as an advocate so long as he continues in such employment.”.However, Lokayukta special court judge VG Bopaiah found no merit in the complaint. He also ruled that since there was no sanction against the politicians, he could not take cognizance of the matter..All the accused, who are advocates enrolled with the Karnataka State Bar Council, are drawing salaries and perks as representatives elected or nominated to Parliament or the Karnataka Legislative Assembly or Council..Image of Siddaramaiah taken from here.