No action yet on complaint over assault on lawyer during Tirunelveli public hearing

By A Representative

A day after a detailed complaint was filed seeking disciplinary action against ten lawyers in Tirunelveli for allegedly assaulting human rights lawyer Dr. V. Suresh, no action has yet been taken by the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, according to the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).

Advocate Dr. V. Suresh and Arappor Iyakkam Convener Jayaram Venkatesan submitted the complaint on December 5, 2025, urging the Bar Council to initiate proceedings under the Advocates Act, 1961 against the accused advocates. The incident occurred on November 2, 2025, when a public hearing organised by Arappor Iyakkam in Tirunelveli to document grievances of farmers and villagers affected by illegal stone quarrying was allegedly disrupted by a group of lawyers representing quarry owners.

According to the complaint, the assailants openly identified themselves as advocates for stone quarry operators and members of the Stone Quarry Owners Association. They are alleged to have physically attacked Dr. Suresh and others, in full public view and in the presence of Palayamkottai police personnel. Dr. Suresh reportedly sustained a head injury after a chair was thrown at him from behind.

Although an FIR was filed naming five of the accused, the complainants state that key details of the attack were omitted and that Dr. Suresh’s name as a victim was not included. The complainants have demanded immediate disciplinary proceedings and removal of the accused from the rolls of the Bar.

PUCL has expressed concern over what it describes as deliberate inaction and the failure of authorities to address violence against legal professionals participating in public interest activities.

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