The Karnataka State Bar Council has issued orders to permanently remove the name of a Belagavi-based lawyer from the State roll of advocates on charges of professional misconduct.
Prabhu Shivappa Yatnatti, who has been barred from practising, is the president of the district Bar association. Association sources say they may have to convene a meeting to decide if they have to elect another president.
The council’s order follows an inquiry by the disciplinary committee that looked into allegations that Mr. Yatnatti had misappropriated ₹99 lakh that belonged to a farmer who had lost his land in government proceedings.
Khanapur-based farmer Subhash Ramappa Pujari had approached the Bar council with a complaint that Mr. Yatnatti, who had fought the case on his behalf, had transferred the compensation account to his personal account.
Mr. Pujari had fallen sick during the COVID-19 lockdown and had signed a power of attorney in his daughter’s name. However, the lawyer had fraudulently transferred the compensation amount to his own account by fudging records and creating another power of attorney, the petitioner said in the complaint.
Mr. Pujari had lost his land to the widening of NH4-A Khanapur-Goa highway in Khanapur taluk in 2018. He told The Hindu that for a few months, he had believed that he had not got the compensation from NHAI. However, the officers said that they had released the money. “When we checked further, we realised the lawyer had deposited it to his account. I was shocked. I asked the lawyer, but did not get a proper reply. Then I consulted other advocates who asked me to approach the Bar council,” Mr. Pujari said.
The disciplinary committee included senior advocates N.S. Narasimha Swamy, R. Rajanna, and B.R. Chandramouli. They issued an order to permanently remove the name of Mr. Yatnatti from the rolls, to return the compensation amount of ₹99.68 lakh to the petitioner, with an interest of 12%. The lawyer will have to deposit processing fees of ₹20,000. Of this, ₹10,000 will go to the farmer towards costs and ₹10,000 to the Bar council.
Mr. Yatnatti denied the allegations. He described the inquiry as a conspiracy against him. “The farmer is not my client. I was not given a chance to present my opinion before the disciplinary committee. I will appeal against the order,’‘ he said.
