Tirur Magistrate transferred after lawyers complain of verbal abuse, derogatory language against advocates

Lenin Das, the Judicial Magistrate First Class stationed at Tirur as a temporary magistrate, has been transferred to Kannur following allegations that he has a history of using derogatory language against lawyers. .The move to transfer judge Das comes close on the heels of a letter sent by the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association (KHCAA) to the Chief Justice AJ Desai of the Kerala High Court, calling for action against the magistrate.In its letter, the KHCAA had raised concern over allegations that the magistrate had behaved poorly and used derogatory language against lawyers. Protests against the magistrate had reached a peak after the magistrate allegedly ordered that a lawyer be escorted out of the courtroom during a hearing. .In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice on November 21 (Tuesday), the KHCAA referred to few specific incidents where the magistrate allegedly displayed misconduct. It also stated that there has been a general pattern of verbal abuse against lawyers, both within the courtroom and in the judge's chambers. "Such conduct is antithetical to the expected standards of a judicial officer and raises serious concerns about the sanctity of the legal system", the letter stated..The incidents described in the letter had also led to the Ernakulam Bar Association boycotting court work on Tuesday.Meanwhile, the Tirur Bar Association met with Justice N Nagaresh of the High Court, who is the administrative judge-in-charge of Malappuram district (where Tirur lies), to inform him of the conduct of the magistrate.Subsequently, the magistrate (Das) has now been removed from his earlier post and transferred to Kannur as an Additional Munsiff. According to a notification issued today (November 21), the erstwhile Additional Munsiff at Kannur, Vishnudathan TS, will instead serve as the JFCM first class at Tirur till further orders. The notification added that judge Das will have to join his new post at Kannur within four days time. .In its letter sent hours before the transfer, the KHCAA had also raised concerns regarding the manner in which Das, who used to be a High Court employee, was appointed to the post as a temporary magistrate. "The esteemed duties of a judicial officer should be entrusted only to qualified professionals capable of upholding the dignity and decorum expected within our courtrooms," the letter said.The association, therefore, also requested the Chief Justice to reconsider the practice of appointing temporary magistrates and to appoint qualified advocates to such posts instead.