Punjab & Haryana Bar Council Suspends Two Lawyers After Sword Attack in Court
The Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday night suspended the licences of two lawyers, Ravneet Kaur and Simranjit Singh Blassi, after they allegedly attacked the Secretary of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association (PHHCBA) and other advocates. Shockingly, Blassi was also seen moving around inside the court premises with a sword.
A special disciplinary committee, which met at 11 PM, termed the incident as grave misconduct. The committee said that by targeting the office bearers and members of the Bar Association, the lawyers had shown complete disregard for the dignity of the legal profession and violated their professional duties under the Advocates Act and Bar Council of India (BCI) Rules.
The committee also noted that Kaur’s licence had earlier been referred to the BCI for cancellation due to concealment of facts at the time of obtaining it. Both Kaur and Blassi have now been barred from appearing in any court or authority and from wearing the lawyer’s dress.
The disciplinary committee has issued notices to the two lawyers, asking them to appear on September 19, while also seeking assistance from the PHHCBA office bearers.
The matter began when Kaur alleged before Chief Justice Sheel Nagu that the PHHCBA Secretary, Gagandeep Jammu, had confiscated her laptop. While the court refused to intervene urgently, Senior Advocate Amit Jhanji was asked to help settle the issue. Later, according to a PHHCBA notice, Kaur and Blassi entered the Association office, misbehaved with members, and attacked the secretary.
The notice further claimed that Blassi openly roamed the court premises with a sword, creating fear and panic. Both were eventually taken into police custody.
Following the incident, the PHHCBA announced a strike on September 19 to protest against what it called police inaction. The Association said an FIR has now been registered against the two lawyers, and its Executive Committee will meet today at 11 AM to decide whether the strike will continue.
