Bhopal/Jabalpur: The MP High Court refused permission to former MLA Sunilam to travel to Iraq after his counsel declined the court’s offer to argue and finally dispose of the 14-year-old police firing case in which he was convicted.The case relates to the 2006 farmers’ agitation in Multai, Betul district, during the Digvijaya Singh regime, when police firing left 19 people dead. Sunilam, who later won from Multai as an independent MLA, was made an accused and convicted by the trial court. He challenged the order in the High Court and got bail.The appeal has been pending since 2012.When Sunilam’s counsel moved an application seeking permission to get a visa for Iraq, a division bench of Justice Vivek Agarwal and Justice A K Singh said there was no urgent personal cause to allow foreign travel. The bench instead offered to hear the appeal finally and asked counsel to suggest a convenient date. The counsel refused, saying he had no instructions from his client.Peeved, the judges said it was “surprising and ridiculous” that the counsel was not ready to argue. “It is evident that the counsel himself is guilty of prolonging the litigation whereas usually an impression is conveyed that courts are not functioning properly,” the bench observed.“Having regard to the conduct of counsel and reasons cited, the court doesn’t find any ground to entertain the application,” the judges said while dismissing it.
