New Delhi, Oct 18 Advocates across district courts in the national capital held a strike on Tuesday, demanding the suspension of two police officers for alleged high-handedness towards lawyers and an impartial inquiry.
In a circular issued late evening on Monday, the Coordination Committee of All District Courts Bar Associations of Delhi said that the matter began with an incident in which advocate Lalit Bansal suffered a serious head injury in an alleged assault, for which an FIR was registered at Shahdara police station.
According to the circular, several advocates went to the police station on the evening of October 23 to seek legal action against those named in the case.
The committee claimed the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and the station house officer (SHO) assured them that the accused, who were present inside the police station at that time, would be arrested.
The next day, however, the advocates learnt that the accused had not been arrested and had reportedly been released, the circular said, adding that this caused serious concern among members of the Bar.
“When advocates approached the police station to express their concern regarding the handling of the matter and to seek accountability in accordance with law, an incident involving ACP Manasvi Vashishta occurred,” the circular said.
“According to the account placed before the committee, the ACP displayed his revolver and threatened and intimidated the advocates present,” it alleged.
There was no immediate response from the police to the allegation.
The circular said that the committee is deeply concerned that the incident arose when the advocates were seeking appropriate action regarding a serious physical injury to a member of the legal fraternity.
It said that the lawful pursuit of justice by advocates, including their efforts to ensure that complaints are dealt with fairly and effectively, must not become a cause for intimidation or confrontation.
It added that the committee also took serious note of “recurring concerns” about instances of “high-handed conduct” by police personnel towards lawyers in the recent past.
“The coordination committee resolves to demand the immediate suspension of ACP Manavi Vashishta and the SHO concerned pending an impartial inquiry,” the circular said.
Advocate Tarun Rana, secretary of the committee, said that the strike had been successfully organised in the Patiala House district courts on Tuesday.
“Lawyers are the major stakeholders in administering the judicial system. Their dignity can not be compromised and we are firm to continue our peaceful protest till the erring police officials are put to task,” he said.
Dhir Singh Kasana, former secretary of the Saket Court Bar Association, said that lawyers completely abstained from judicial work on Tuesday.
“We will not bear police atrocities silently,” Kasana said.
(PTI News)
