In a relief to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Union Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda and a few other present and former Ministers, who were once practising advocates, the High Court of Karnataka on Saturday dismissed a petition against them for allegedly not surrendering the certificate of practise even after becoming Ministers.
Anti Corruption Council of India Trust Chairman Hussain M. Farooq had moved the High Court questioning the January 8, 2016, order of the Special Lokayukta Court, which had dismissed his complaint that several Ministers and former Ministers indulged in “corrupt practises” violating the provisions of the Bar Council of India Rules and the Karnataka Ministers Salaries and Allowances Act.
Complaints were also filed against the former Union Ministers Mallikarjuna Kharge and M. Veerappa Moily, Industries Minister R.V. Deshpande, RDPR Minister H.K. Patil, Law Minister T.B. Jayachandra, and the former Minister Suresh Kumar.
Referring to Bar Council of India Rules that prohibits an advocate from practising in the court of law after assuming full-time employment, the petitioner alleged that these leaders continued to practise as lawyers even after they became Ministers and drew salaries from the State exchequer. However, Justice Anand Byrareddy, in his order, held that “there is no material to indicate that they are still practising as advocates.”
Also, the High Court observed that the Advocates Act or the Bar Council of India Rules has a provision only to remove their names from the “rolls of practising advocates” after conducting an enquiry, and does not prescribe any punishment.
