The Allahabad High Court Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Telangana Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Tuesday skipped the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected office bearers of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association, according to media reports.

As reported by The Times of India, Shukla and Bhansali were scheduled to attend the ceremony as the chief guest and special guest, respectively. However, both dignitaries remained absent. The reason for their absence is not yet known.

The report further stated that the Chief Returning Officer (CRO) and members of the election committee also boycotted the ceremony, saying their presence would be "neither proper nor desirable in the prevailing circumstances."

The development comes amid an ongoing standoff between lawyers and the Allahabad High Court following protests against Justice Ajay Bhanot over allegations of ill-treatment of an advocate.

On October 27, the newly elected Bar Association, led by President CP Upadhyay and General Secretary Santosh Kumar Mishra, issued a statement demanding action against Justice Bhanot and warning that lawyers would boycott his court.

A day later, the protest turned violent, with lawyers allegedly vandalising furniture inside Justice Bhanot's courtroom and assaulting government counsel and court staff.

As the protests continued for several days, the High Court, through judicial orders, urged the Bar Association to take appropriate steps to uphold the dignity of the institution. The Court also advised young lawyers to focus on their professional careers rather than engaging in protests and seeking attention on social media.

Meanwhile, Justice Bhanot denied the allegations levelled against him. A Bench comprising Justice Bhanot and Justice Divesh Chandra Samant observed that the Bar Association had made "false imputations" regarding the incident and used provocative language in its communication to the Chief Justice.

The High Court also recommended criminal action against the lawyers allegedly involved in the courtroom vandalism and initiated contempt proceedings against them.