The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Bar Council of India and other bar associations in the national capital in connection with a series of clashes between a group of lawyers and policemen at Tis Hazari Courts. The HC issued notice on a petition filed by the Centre urging that the order for no coercive action against advocates, passed on Sunday following the clash, should not be applicable on the subsequent incidents.
Some of the lawyers associations also approached the high court seeking ban on the media from showing videos of the recent incidents saying they could worsen the situation. The court, however, refused to pass an interim order and posted the matter for further hearing on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, thousands of police personnel have been protesting outside their headquarters at ITO in an unprecedented move, demanding action against lawyers involved in the attack outside the Saket Court Complex.
The tension between police personnel and lawyers had been building up since Saturday, when a clash over a parking dispute injured at least 20 security personnel and several advocates.
Lawyers at the six district courts in the national capital—is Hazari, Karkardooma, Saket, Dwarka, Rohini and Patiala House—boycotted work throughout Monday.
The high court Sunday took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of media reports of the clash between lawyers and policemen and said that Justice (retd) S.P. Garg, a former judge of the court, would hold a judicial inquiry into the matter.
Meanwhile, the BCI asked various bar bodies to identify lawyers "indulging in hooliganism" and requested advocates to end their protests, which are "bringing bad name to the institution".
BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra said in a letter that sparing such "rowdy elements" is tarnishing the image of the institution and it is the inaction and tolerance of bar bodies that encourage these advocates, which would ultimately result in "contempt proceedings by the high courts or Supreme Court".
With inputs from PTI
