Despite Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi’s assurances that the lawyer-media spat has been resolved, a section of advocates on Friday reportedly asked journalists to leave the premises of the Vigilance Court at Vanchiyoor in the capital city, manhandling one of them in the process.
This happened when the court was hearing the petition filed against the states Industries Minister EP Jayarajan over allegations of nepotism.
According to sources, while initially the four journalists were allowed to be present in the court while a few cases came up for hearing, the moment Jayarajan’s case came up for hearing, a few advocates barged in and manhandled a senior journalist from The New Indian Express, right in front of the judge himself.
He was reportedly bashed and led out of the court, while the remaining three -a PTI reporter and two women journalists- were also forcibly evicted from the premises.
The lawyers apparently asked all of them to stay away from the court, saying that they had people who would report on these matters, and and warned them never again to set foot there.
This comes after the state Chief Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar himself had assured the Chief Minister on Tuesday that no journalist would be prevented from reporting from any court in Kerala.