A meeting of representatives of journalists and lawyers convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Saturday decided to constitute a permanent committee headed by Advocate General C.P. Sudhakara Prasad to resolve disputes arising in future between lawyers and mediapersons in the State.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the committee would have three representatives each from the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) and the Kerala High Court Advocates’ Association, besides a member from the Bar Council of Kerala.
He said that if the committee wanted to discus any issues involving the police, the State Police Chief could be called to the meeting. In fact, the committee would discuss and find a solution to the issues even before they lead to protests and agitations, he said.
The Chief Minister appealed to journalists and lawyers to work towards restoring the friendly and cordial atmosphere that prevailed among them the day before the start of the latest untoward incidents.
What had happened between the two had now become a closed chapter .The actions of both sides did not make anyone proud, the Chief Minister said.
He said the High Court had over 5,000 lawyers, while mediapersons inside the court were a few. So, nobody could think of clashes between them. Both sides should show restraint. The government would not tolerate any kind of violence. He expressed the hope that lawyers and mediapersons would imbibe the spirit of these talks and try to create a peaceful atmosphere.
In reply to a question, he said that Acting Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan would take a call on issues such as safety of legal affairs reporters and incidents that took place inside the High Court complex. The cases registered in connection with the incidents would take their own course, he said.
The Chief Minister earlier held separate talks with representatives of the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ), Kerala High Court Advocates Association, and Bar Council of Kerala.
