Plea filed before Kerala High Court seeking law for protection of lawyers after attacks on advocates

A lawyer has moved a plea before the Kerala High Court seeking enactment of a law for the protection and safety of advocates [Adv. Vishnu Sunil Panthalam v State of Kerala & Ors.]..The plea was filed by advocate Vishnu Sunil Panthalam who contended that lawyers who risk their lives to uphold the country's laws, deserve recognition and safety through appropriate legal measures.The plea pointed out that there have been many attacks on lawyers in the recent past. In this regard, reference was made to reports of an attack on a lawyer by a witness at a Thiruvananthapuram court, the assault of a lawyer by the bouncers at a pub in Kochi and the assault of a lawyer by a police officer. .The petitioner emphasised that lawyers have a vital role to play in the justice system and that they should be protected while they are performing their duties.“The frequent attacks on the members of this (legal) community can be seen only as attacks on the community as a whole. Moreover, it brings into the limelight the fact that the nature and importance of the role of the members of this community in the justice delivery system and public life have not been acknowledged,” the plea said. .The plea was filed before the Court after a representation sent to the State government on October 10 yielded no positive response. The said representation had called for the intervention of the State government by enacting a protective law for lawyers. .The petitioner also pointed out that while other professionals like medical professionals and the police have laws protecting them, lawyers are yet to be given such recognition. “When other professionals discharging duties of similar nature are recognized and provided with the necessary protection, the members of this community still continue to be unrecognized and neglected,” the plea said. .Therefore, the petitioner has now urged the High Court to order the concerned authorities to take immediate steps to ensure the protection of lawyers. To this end, the petitioner has also urged the Court to direct the State authorities to consider his earlier representation on the issue within a fixed timeframe..The petitioner was represented by advocates Jomy K Jose and Jismin Jose..On a related note, in July this year, Union Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal said that the ministry was willing to examine a law for protection of advocates.Cases concerning demands for laws to protect advocates have also cropped up before other High Courts, including those of Delhi and Rajasthan.In March this year, Rajasthan became the first State in India to pass a law for protection of lawyers.In April this year, the Bar Council of India (BCI) called for the Union government to frame a law for the protection of advocates and their families. The same month, the Punjab and Haryana Bar Council requested the two State governments to pass the Advocates (Protection) Act, 2023 at the earliest.In June, the BCI constituted a seven-member committee to draft an Advocates' Protection Bill..Lawyers under the gun: Addressing the recent history of security lapses in district courts