Five advocates arrested for threatening scribes; get bail

Thiruvananthapuram: Five advocates were arrested Tuesday in connection with a case relating to threatening and dragging of journalists who had gone to cover legal proceedings at a Vigilance Court here on October 14.

The five advocates were later released on bail, police said.

The case was registered on a complaint by some of the journalists who were allegedly threatened by a group of lawyers of dire consequences.

The journalists were dragged out of the court by the lawyers when they had gone there to report the proceedings regarding the petition against the then Industries Minister E P Jayarajan on the appointment row.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered against four of the journalists -- Prabhat Nair of New Indian Express, J Ramakrishnan (PTI), G Ajitha (Asianet News) and Justina Thomas (Manorama News), on a complaint filed by a lawyer who alleged they caused simple hurt to the advocates, police said.

The journalists were dragged out in the presence of Vigilance Judge A Badaruddin and senior advocates during the hearing of the private petition against Jayarajan.

A day after the incident, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had described the action as unacceptable and that the government would take action against those violating law.

"There was no bar for journalists to report court proceedings and action of some lawyers putting obstruction in reporting cannot be accepted," Vijayan had said.

Mediapersons have not been allowed to report court proceedings since July after some advocates had attacked them outside the Kerala High Court complex and warned against covering the proceedings there.