Sleaze CD: Karnataka Bar Council suspends victim’s lawyer

Bengaluru: The Karnataka Bar Council has suspended advocate R Manjunath, who is representing the victim in the sleaze CD case, with immediate effect and issued a show-cause notice to him for making allegations during a recent live session on Facebook and other social media platforms.

On Wednesday, Manjunath had organised a live session on Facebook and other social media platforms, during the course of which he alleged that several lawyers have misused the funds pertaining to the stamps of the welfare fund and damaged the credibility of the Bar Council.

Subsequently, several lawyers complained to the Bar Council about Manjunath’s conduct and demanded action.

In its meeting held on Friday, the Council, under its resolution no. 50/2021 decided to take suo moto action, issue notice against Manjunath, and kept him under suspension with immediate effect, pending enquiry, a statement issued by Karnataka Bar Council chairman I Srinivasa Babu read.

The show-cause notice issued to Manjunath calls upon him to explain within ten days, why his name should not be removed from the rolls of the Karnataka State Bar Council.

The sleaze CD case erupted in Karnataka more than a month ago, and Ramesh Jarkiholi, the BJP MLA from Gokak, was forced to quit as a minister on March 3, after a social activist, Dinesh Kallahalli lodged a police complaint alleging sexual harassment of a woman.

Immediately after he lodged the complaint, video clips purportedly showing their intimate moments surfaced on local News channels as well as social media.