Allahabad High Court orders CCTV check after lawyers' courtroom protest

A bench of the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, ordered that CCTV footage be used to identify advocates who protested inside the courtroom of Justice Ajay Bhanot earlier that day. According to reports from the court, lawyers raised slogans and allegedly threw furniture and other items in the courtroom. Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal, who was hearing a bail matter in an adjoining courtroom, described the conduct as "absolutely contemptuous" and directed the Registrar (Protocol) to obtain the footage from the camera outside Court No. 66. The matter has been listed for November 19.

Disruption inside a courtroom stops hearings for everyone listed that day, including litigants who may have travelled long distances and waited months for a date. That is why courts treat such incidents seriously.

The incident also brings two important legal ideas into view. The first is contempt of court. Under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, "criminal contempt" includes acts that interfere with or obstruct the administration of justice. A High Court has the power to punish contempt of itself, which is why the bench has said it may consider contempt action once the people involved are identified. The second is professional discipline. Advocates in India are regulated by State Bar Councils under the Advocates Act, 1961, which can suspend or remove a lawyer for professional misconduct. A referral to the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh would start that separate process.

The lawyers' side of the dispute also needs to be heard. The High Court Bar Association has said the protest arose from the treatment of an advocate who was asked to apologise to a police officer seated in the lawyers' row. Questions of seating and courtroom conduct can become flashpoints between the Bar and the Bench, which depend on each other for courts to run smoothly. Reports did not carry a response from Justice Bhanot. Reports of other incidents during the protest have not been independently confirmed, and this article does not repeat them.

What happens next depends on the CCTV identification and on the November 19 hearing. No finding of contempt or misconduct has been made against any advocate so far.

Short-term: Hearings in the courtroom concerned may face disruption if the Bar Association goes ahead with its boycott. The Registry will gather CCTV footage and identify those present before the next date.

Long-term: Depending on what the footage shows, individual advocates could face contempt proceedings in the High Court or disciplinary action by the Bar Council. The episode may also lead to clearer rules on courtroom seating and conduct.

Who is affected: Litigants whose cases are listed in the affected courtroom; advocates who practise at the Allahabad High Court; the judges concerned; and the High Court Bar Association.

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