Thu Jan 01 13:11:03 UTC 2026: Summary:
The State Bar Council has suspended advocate V. Ravikumar, an environmental activist known for defending farmers and protecting natural resources. This action has been strongly condemned by the Federation of Farmers’ Organisations and the State Sugarcane Growers’ Association, who believe it’s a conspiracy to silence his efforts against land grabbing and environmental exploitation in the Kabini backwaters region. The farmer organizations threaten an indefinite sit-in protest if the suspension is not revoked.
News Article:
Farmers Condemn Suspension of Environmental Advocate, Threaten Protest
MYSURU, January 1, 2026 – The Federation of Farmers’ Organisations and the State Sugarcane Growers’ Association have issued a scathing condemnation of the State Bar Council’s recent suspension of advocate V. Ravikumar, a prominent environmental activist. The organizations allege the suspension is a deliberate attempt to silence Ravikumar’s ongoing efforts to protect the Kabini backwaters, and oppose land grabbers and resort development that threatens the environment.
Ravikumar, a Mysuru-based lawyer, is known for his work defending farmers and advocating for the protection of land, water, forests, and wildlife.
“Silencing a lawyer who raises his voice for truth and justice amounts to an insult to the democratic system,” stated Baradanapura Nagaraj, organizing secretary of the Federation, and Attihalli Devaraj, the district general secretary of the Sugarcane Growers’ Association, in a joint statement.
The farmer groups are demanding the immediate revocation of the suspension order. They warn that if their demands are not met, they will launch an indefinite sit-in protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue near Mysuru court, joined by other farmers’ organizations and environmental groups.
“We will not stop our struggle till justice is delivered to Ravikumar,” Nagaraj and Devaraj asserted, signaling a potentially protracted conflict between the farming community and the State Bar Council.
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