On Friday, the Kerala High Court issued a summons to twenty-nine lawyers accused of being involved in a group of protesting lawyers. The lawyers allegedly engaged in a verbal altercation with a Chief Judicial Magistrate in Kottayam the previous month.

The division bench of Justices Anil K Narendran and G Girish, held that the actions of the lawyers seemed to constitute contempt of court on initial examination. They instructed the lawyers to appear in court on December 15 at 2 PM for the next hearing related to a contempt case that the court had taken up on its own accord following the incident.

We issue urgent notice to respondents to appear before this court on December 15 on 2 PM," the Court's order stated.

Upon viewing a video clip of the lawyers' protest, the Court voiced its disapproval of the abusive slogans directed at the judicial officer.

Recently, On November 22, the Kottayam Bar Association released a notice announcing a protest by all advocates. This protest was in response to the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) and the purported behavior of the magistrate towards lawyers. Previously, the magistrate court had lodged a complaint with the police, claiming that advocate Nawab had fabricated and presented false documents to secure bail for his client. The Bar's notice urged a boycott of court proceedings in light of these events.

The protests that followed extended throughout the entire corridor of the court complex. Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Viveeja Sethumohan documented the sequence of events in an order issued on the very same day.

Approximately two hundred lawyers reportedly participated in the demonstration, with advocates Sojan Pavianiyos and Benny Kurian leading the protest. Additionally, it was indicated that advocate KA Prasad, the President of the Kottayam Bar Association, and advocate Tomy K James, the association's Secretary, were among the protesters.