Patna: The lawyers' community reacted with shock over the sting operation aired on the Republic news channel on Wednesday that showed staff of the Patna District Court taking bribe inside courtrooms for multiple reasons - such as cash for court dates, cash for choosing jails, cash for getting fake bail, cash for getting court papers.

"This is unacceptable and the matter should be dealt with an iron hand," said Y.V. Giri, one of the senior-most advocates at Patna High Court. "The chief justice of Patna High Court should take up the matter suo-motu and initiate action against the accused persons."

Giri told this correspondent: "You print this and I will draw the attention of the chief justice tomorrow, showing him the news clip."

Another senior advocate SBK Mangalam said: "This is shameful. I condemn this unholy act and every sensible person will. Who will praise these types of acts inside courtrooms?"

Mangalam, however, admitted: "Who doesn't know that these kind of incidents take place inside courts every day? This happens everywhere. It is an open secret that is known to all. But the thing is, the common man has no alternative but to go to the courts for justice."

Mangalam went on to say that even the CBI or the high court chief justice cannot stop the rampant corruption. The lawyers have themselves become brokers, he said.

Bihar's advocate-general Lalit Kishor promised action if concrete evidence is there. "If we get empirical data and positive evidence, the high court will take up the issue," he said.

He added: "The chief justice of Patna High Court should take up this matter."

He too said corruption in courtrooms is not confined to just Patna. It has spread all across the country, Kishor said, adding: "It is high time that the matter should be taken up seriously."

On corruption in the lower judiciary, he said whenever any such instance has been brought to the notice of the high court earlier, it has taken serious disciplinary actions against subordinate courts.