Hyderabad, Oct 31, 2025: In a significant development, the Telangana High Court has initiated contempt of court proceedings against all office bearers of the Metropolitan Criminal Courts Bar Association (MCCBA), Nampally, for passing a resolution to boycott court proceedings — a move the court said violated both the Telangana Court Rules of Practice and directions issued by the Supreme Court of India.
Justice Laxmi Narayana Alishetty issued show-cause notices to the MCCBA’s President, General Secretary, and all executive committee members in Contempt Case No. 2297 of 2025, directing them to appear before the court on November 28, 2025, either in person or through an advocate. The court warned that failure to appear could result in ex-parte determination of the case.
Background: Boycott and Assault Allegations
The contempt petition was filed by Advocate Vijay Gopal, who appeared party-in-person. In his plea, Gopal alleged that the MCCBA had on June 16, 2025, issued a “court boycott” resolution in violation of Rule 17 of the Telangana Court Rules of Practice, which expressly prohibits advocates from abstaining from court work.
He further alleged that when he attempted to enter the Metropolitan Criminal Court complex during the boycott, he was physically assaulted by a group of advocates associated with the Bar Association, resulting in injuries and wrongful restraint.
The petition also cites willful disobedience of the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in Ex-Capt. Harish Uppal vs. Union of India (2002), which categorically declared that lawyers have no right to strike or boycott courts and that such actions obstruct the administration of justice.
High Court’s Observations and Action
After hearing the petitioner and reviewing the affidavit, the High Court found prima facie grounds to proceed and accordingly issued contempt notices to the following office bearers of MCCBA:
- K. Ravi Kishore, President
- N.V. Ramana Goud, General Secretary
- G. Chandra Mohan, Vice President
- D. Ravinder, Advocate
- Hridainath Asoorya, Joint Secretary
- K. Sravanthi Adisate, Librarian
- Ravindar Naik K, Treasurer
- M. Sai Chand & A. Padmavathi, Sports and Cultural Secretaries
- Along with several Executive Committee Members, including Rajavardhan Reddy G., B. Sreelatha, Lokesh Sonnaela, Proneeth Singh Pawar, Mohan J., Bheem Singh, Akshay Singh, Asha M., and Akuthota Venkatesh.
The High Court directed the Chief Judge of the City Civil Court, Hyderabad to serve notices and ensure all respondents are informed ahead of the next hearing.
Legal Context
Under Rule 17 of the Telangana Legal Practitioners Rules, any form of “boycott” or “abstention from court work” by advocates is explicitly barred. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that such strikes amount to contempt of court and undermine litigants’ rights to speedy justice.
This case marks a rare instance where an individual advocate has directly sought contempt action against an entire bar association for enforcing a boycott resolution and obstructing access to justice.
Next Hearing
The matter has been posted for hearing on November 28, 2025, when the MCCBA office bearers are expected to present their defense before the High Court.