A court in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday handed prison sentences to five lawyers for assaulting a senior journalist inside the court premises, which the judge said was “considered a temple of justice”. The court also observed that advocates were expected to uphold the law.
The Ujjain district court sentenced Dharmendra Sharma, Shailendra Sharma, Bhavendra Sharma, and Purushottam Rai to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and Surendra Sharma to three years of simple imprisonment, considering he is almost 90 years old.
District and Additional Sessions Judge Shrikrishna Dagliya took into consideration the fact that the “accused are aware of the law, the place where the incident occurred, the nature of the injuries sustained by the victim, the actions of the accused, the potential impact of the accused’s actions on the victim and society” while passing the sentencing order.
The accused lawyers argued that they “have no prior convictions and have been facing trial for the past 17 years”. The court, however, observed that the “incident occurred within the court premises. It is the duty of every citizen to uphold the rule of law”.
“This responsibility is even greater for advocates who are well-versed in the law,” the court observed.
“The five accused attempted to murder the victim, Ghanshyam Patel, at a place considered a temple of justice,” the court said.
On February 9, 2009, Ghanshyam Patel, a senior journalist, went to the Ujjain district court to depose in a criminal case. During the testimony, one of the accused, Dharmendra Sharma, fought with Patel and used abusive language, following which an FIR was registered.
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The next day, Patel again went to meet his advocate, when the accused persons surrounded him and said, “You’re acting like a big shot. Don’t mess with advocates,” court records said. The accused, Shailendra Sharma, picked up an iron chair and allegedly hit the victim on the head.
