The Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association (GHCAA) has rejected the apology tendered by Advocate General Kamal Trivedi and a group of Senior Advocates to Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal following a heated exchange of words with GHCAA President Brijesh J Trivedi.
On January 20, AG Trivedi and several Senior Counsels approached a Bench led by Chief Justice Agarwal to express remorse over the incident involving the President of GHCAA.
Some lawyers raised objections over the action, claiming that the AG and the Senior Counsels did not consult the Bar to gauge their collective stance.
On January 22, during an Extraordinary General Body Meeting (EGM) convened by the GHCAA, AG Trivedi and the Senior Advocates clarified that their statements were personal opinions and not representative of the Bar.
The GHCAA then adopted a resolution stating that the representation made by the AG and others present in the 1st Court (Chief Justice’s Court) on January 20 was their personal view and not that of the Bar. Hence, the Bar disapproved the same.
It further said that in future, no one would represent the GHCAA without authority conferred by way of a resolution of the Managing Committee or general body of the Bar.
The matter pertained to an incident of January 17, when the GHCAA chief criticised the Chief Justice for not allowing lawyers to conclude their arguments.
Trivedi requested the Bench led by Chief Justice Agarwal to postpone the matter and present the case before another Bench after two weeks.
He said the Chief Justice was looking somewhere at the sky, which had never happened in this Court in 65 years.
Terming the Chief Justice as an ‘overspeaking’ judge, Trivedi left the Court. Referring to a quote by Lord Francis Bacon, he remarked that every lawyer had been tolerating the Chief Justice’s behaviour.
Taking strong displeasure to this, the Bench recorded in its order that the conduct demonstrated by Brijesh Trivedi showed his utter disrespect towards the institution and his attitude, which was not only unworthy of becoming an elected President of the Advocates’ Association, but was also unbecoming of an Advocate of the highest Court of the State.
On January 20, Advocate General Trivedi and some Senior Advocates of the High Court apologised before a Bench led by the Chief Justice.
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