Bangalore:
The Karnataka State Bar Council has suspended the registration of a 46-year-old lawyer from Bengaluru for allegedly sexually harassing a junior in his office and referred the matter to a disciplinary committee.
The complaint was filed by a 26-year-old female junior lawyer who had joined the suspect’s firm in April 2022. After a series of alleged violent behavior, she left his office in September 2022.
She was then allegedly blackmailed by the senior lawyer, who also filed criminal cases against her.
The Bar Association noted in its proceedings: “Has gone through the documents and the allegations made in the complaint and also exchanged them between the parties via WhatsApp messages. The WhatsApp messages show (an) unprofessional attitude of the Defendant Lawyer towards the complainant. This is a clear case of sexual harassment and criminal harassment and professional misconduct by the defendant Attorney against a female junior Attorney.”
The proceedings also stated that the accused lawyer sought time on October 5, 2023 to file his explanation of the complaint filed against him. But “even after a period of thirty days, the defendant has failed to file any explanation or objection with the Bar Association,” the proceedings show.
“It has been decided to suspend the respondent pending investigation and further it has been decided to refer him to Disciplinary Committee No. 1 for investigation,” said the minutes of the recent Bar Association meeting.
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