PERNEM: In a shocking display of daylight lawlessness, a 32-year-old High Court lawyer Adv Ankur Kumar and his 75-year-old client Anil Naik were violently cornered, beaten with iron rods, and forced under duress to sign case-withdrawal papers during a court-mandated coastal demolition drive at Tembvada, Morjim. The brutal assault has triggered an unprecedented wave of fury across Goa’s legal fraternity, with bar associations collectively labelling the ambush a direct, dangerous war on the administration of justice.
As the Mandrem Police look for eight remaining fugitives after arresting Dhruva alias Loshan Morje (30) and his father Dileep alias Loshan Morje (55), both residents of Tembvada, Morjim, lawyers across the State have issued a fierce ultimatum to the govern-ment: immediately pass the Advocates’ Protection Bill or watch the rule of law completely collapse into mobocracy.
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The incident occurred on Friday when a demolition squad, along with the Per-nem Deputy Collector, had gone to the site as per the directives of the High Court to ensure that the orders of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to demolish 22 illegal structures at Morjim were completed on July 17.
Speaking to media persons from the hospital, Adv Kumar informed them that the GCZMA demolition order had been upheld by both the High Court and the Supreme Court. Kumar sustained a fractured eye socket, nose injuries, and other wounds in the attack. According to the complaint, Adv Kumar and his client were allegedly attacked with stones and an iron rod, and his car was damaged during the incident.
Adv Kumar further stated that the attackers forced him and his client to sign a written undertaking agreeing to withdraw the case and threatened them with dire consequences if they failed to comply. The police said they are making arrangements to trace the unknown accused and collect more evidence, and that further investigation is in progress. The Mandrem Police registered an FIR against 10 persons under Sections 189(2), 191(2), 191(3), 126(2), 324(4), 118(2), 115(2), and 351(3), read with Section 190 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Meanwhile, the Goa High Court Bar Association and other lawyers’ bodies strongly condemned the brutal attack on Adv Ankur Kumar, describing it as a direct assault on the administration of justice and the rule of law. The Goa High Court Bar Association passed a resolution by circulation, expressing serious concern over the brutal attack on Adv Kumar by a group of persons while he was performing his professional duties concerning the implementation of orders from the Supreme Court of India and the Bombay High Court at Goa regarding the demolition of illegal structures at Morjim.
The resolution noted that advocates must be able to discharge their professional responsibilities without fear or intimidation, observing that an attack on a lawyer while performing official duties undermines the justice delivery system itself. The Association decided to submit a representation to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant seeking his personal intervention. It urged the State government to ensure a thorough and expeditious investigation, bring all those responsible for the attack to justice, and implement effective measures to safeguard advocates while discharg-ing their professional duties so that incidents of this nature are not repeated and the rule of law is upheld.
The Bar Association also resolved to write to the Administrative Judge of the Bombay High Court at Goa, Justice Valmiki Menezes, requesting him to take cognisance of the incident and issue appropriate directions to protect members of the legal fraternity and ensure the proper administration of justice. The Association reiterated its demand that the State government enact appropriate legislation to provide legal protection to advocates while they perform their professional duties, stated a press release by Association Secretary Adv Shivan Desai.
The Goa High Court Bar Association also referred to previous attacks on Advocates Gajanan Sawant and Sadanand Vaigankar, stating that despite earlier demands for immediate action, incidents of violence against lawyers continue to occur. It further observed that although a law for the protection of advocates has been drafted, it is yet to be passed by the Goa Legislative Assembly, an omission that assumes great importance given these repeated attacks.
The North Goa District Advocates Association and the Panjim Lawyers Forum met DIG Ved Prakash Surya at the Police Headquarters and demanded immediate action against the attackers. The DIG assured the legal fraternity that he will ensure all those responsible are booked, stating that an FIR had been filed and some arrests had already been made. North Goa District Advocates Association President Adv Santosh Bharne, Treasurer Adv Sonali Nagvekar, and on behalf of the Panjim Lawyers Forum, President Adv Joaquim Godinho, Secretary Adv Ninad Kamat, and member Adv Ketaki Pednekar were present. In solidarity, Goa High Court Bar Association Treasurer Adv Rama Rivonkar was also present.
Former Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa President Adv Sangram Desai said, “We condemn the attack on our brother colleague. I assure all my colleagues that we will take serious action against the perpetrators of this crime. These incidents have alarmingly increased in the past few years, and as the Bar Council, we are taking serious action. We have proposed the Advocates Protection Act for Maharashtra and Goa and are pursuing it so that the Act is put in place. We stand in solidarity with our colleague. Presently, I am out of station, and as soon as I return, I will meet Adv Kumar and follow up on this issue with the concerned authorities. We, being officers of the Court, definitely need protection, and assaulting officers of the Court is a very se-ious offence. We will see to it that those involved are pun-ished as per the law and ensure that such incidents do not take place in the future.”
Activist Mahesh Naik of Margao said, “The police should immediately arrest the attackers. The High Court and the Supreme Court had already decided the matter. The police should have provided adequate protection on the field.”
The All India Lawyers’ Union (AILU), Goa unit spokes-person Adv Seoula Vas said, “Such a daylight public phys-ical assault on an advocate while discharging his duty is akin to trampling upon the very Constitution of India. This is emerging as a pattern in the State of Goa lately. AILU demands that the Advocates’ Protection Bill should be passed immediately and made to have retrospective effect. The Chief Minister should take note of it, and the remaining accused should be arrested.”
The South Goa Advocates Association (SGAA) on Saturday also condemned the attack, with its President Adv Antonio Clovis da Costa stating that any assault on an advocate performing professional duties is “a direct attack on the administration of justice and the rule of law.”
Adv Da Costa noted that Adv Kumar was assaulted while discharging his professional duties in connection with the implementation of orders passed by the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court relating to the demolition of illegal structures at Morjim. “An advocate is an officer of the court. Any attack on an advocate while performing his professional obligations is not merely an assault on an in-dividual but a direct attack on the administration of justice and the rule of law,” Adv Da Costa said.
He stated that such acts of violence seek to undermine the authority of the courts and intimidate legal professionals from fearlessly discharging their duties. Expressing solidarity with Adv Kumar, Adv Da Costa wished him a speedy and complete recovery from the injuries sustained in the incident.
Adv Da Costa called upon the Goa government and the Goa Police to conduct a swift, fair, and thorough investigation, identify all those responsible for the attack, and ensure they are brought to justice without delay. He urged the authorities to provide adequate protection to advocates and all persons engaged in the implementation of judicial orders so that the majesty of the law is upheld. “The legal fraternity cannot and will not tolerate any attempt to obstruct the due process of law through violence, intimidation, or unlawful means. The rule of law must prevail at all times,” Adv Da Costa concluded.
