Sources told TNM that a few members of the GSB community, to which lawyer Devadatt Kamat belongs, have asked for him to be excommunicated.
Lawyer Devadatt Kamat, who has represented female Muslim students in both the Karnataka High Court and the Supreme Court in the ongoing hijab dispute, has come under fire for the same. According to sources, in addition to online comments and messages, some members of the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community, to which Devadatt belongs, had called for his excommunication.
In response, Swami Bhaveshanand of Ramakrishna Ashram in Karwar issued a statement of support for Kamat, saying it was his professional responsibility. In the press release, the religious leader said, “I am most saddened to observe that the name of Shri Devadatt Kamat, Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court, is dragged into this controversy simply because he represented a party in the Court as a lawyer. . Some elements attempt to stigmatize him as supporting a cause against the Hindu religion. This perception is absolutely unwarranted and baseless. A lawyer who represents a client in court must do his duty and do justice to his client’s case. It is a duty and a professional responsibility. It cannot be stigmatized as a cause against the Hindu religion.
The seer began his statement to the media by calling the ongoing discussion “unnecessary” and called the controversy “not in good taste and in the interests of peace and harmony in society.”
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He added, “Shri Devadatt Kamat is a strong follower of the philosophy of Shri Ramakrishna Vivekanand and an ardent devotee of Shri Ramakrishna Ashram since childhood. He is a spiritually oriented person and comes from a spiritual background. He is held in high esteem by the people of Uttar Kannada for his support and contribution to the cause of Uttar Kannada.
When TNM contacted Kamat, he declined to elaborate on the matter. He said: “I have nothing more to say except that it is my professional dharma to defend a client and I will do so to the best of my ability.”
Read also: The hijab is just a pretext to deny education to Muslims
Sources told TNM that members of the GSB community had written to the religious leader demanding that the lawyer be excommunicated for his choice to represent Muslim students. Sources said people have pointed out that Kamat even quoted Quranic phrases as part of the dispute. The GSB community is influential in public life and business in the coastal region of Karnataka and neighboring states of Goa and Kerala. Community members were also early adopters of RSS ideology in the region.
