BANGALORE: There appears to be no change in the stand of the Karnataka State Bar Council, at least for the present, on the issue of boycotting functions in which Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court Cyriac Joseph, participates.

A Council office-bearer told The Hindu that several designated senior counsels who had attended a meeting called by the Bar Council said they agreed with the stand of the Council and said there was no question of withdrawing the boycott call given by it.

Nearly 35 designated senior counsels attended the meeting. He said the senior counsels had endorsed the stand taken by the Council. He said the speech of the Chief Justice at the Karnataka Judicial Academy in the afternoon where he said that his remark against advocates was misquoted had been taken note by the Council.

Meanwhile, senior counsel and former chairperson of the Karnataka State Bar Council Pramila Nesargi on Thursday took exception to the Council failing to invite her to the meeting of senior counsels to discus the issue.

Ms. Nesagri said she should have been invited to the meeting because she was the president of the Indian Federation of Women Lawyers, Karnataka chapter. She claimed that she was deliberately not invited to the meeting and that it was a slight on women advocates.

The Advocates' Association, Bangalore, said it was unfortunate that the Bar Council and the judiciary were on a collision course on an issue which could have been resolved by mutual dialogue. At an emergency meeting on Thursday, itresolved to find an amicable solution.

The office-bearers and executive committee members of the association and in coordination with the senior advocates favoured an solution by mutual dialogue with the Bar Council and the judiciary.

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