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Karnataka Lawyers Boycott Courts to Demand Protection Following Advocate Killings

Nationwide · pinned on Bengaluru, India · Nov 3, 2026

Is it still on?

NOIt was a one-day action on Nov 3.

Last report · checked

Summary in three lines

Why they are protesting
Lawyers protested to demand better safety and legal safeguards after a series of killings and attacks on advocates across Karnataka.
What they want
Protesters demanded enhanced legal protection, a 10-year prison term for offences against lawyers, and an end to police interference.
What changed
Nov 3, 2026: Advocates across Karnataka boycotted court proceedings and gathered at the High Court to demand protection.
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Both sides

What protesters want

  • Strengthened legal protection and effective implementation of the Advocates Protection Act
  • A 10-year prison term for offences against lawyers
  • Non-bailable offences and magistrate-level monitoring for attacks on advocates
  • An end to police station intervention in civil disputes

Organised by: Advocates' Association, Bengaluru, Karnataka State Bar Council

What authorities say

Association leaders met with Home Minister Priyank Kharge, while a division bench comprising Justices D.K. Singh and H. Shantibhushan accepted a representation and stated they would take suo motu cognisance through a PIL. Separately, a bench headed by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru took cognisance of contempt proceedings over the boycott.23

The full story

Advocates across Karnataka participated in a statewide court boycott on November 3, 2026, to protest growing attacks and killings within the legal profession. The action was organized by the Advocates' Association, Bengaluru, following the murders of advocates in Whitefield and Annapoorneshwari Nagar, alongside an attack in Gauribidanur. Lawyers abstained from court proceedings and gathered outside the Golden Gate of the Karnataka High Court. Association leaders and the Karnataka State Bar Council met with state ministers and judges, urging a court-monitored investigation, stringent punishment for attackers, and an end to police intervention in civil matters. According to the sources, a High Court division bench indicated it would take up the matter via a public interest litigation, while another bench initiated contempt proceedings over the boycott call.

Timeline

  1. Advocates across Karnataka boycotted court proceedings and gathered at the Karnataka High Court to protest recent advocate killings.123

Pins sit on city centres, never on gathering points

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