Delhi police-lawyers clash: BCI demands arrest of guilty cops in a week

On Tuesday, the BCI had asked bar associations in Delhi to “end violence in Court premises immediately” but the lawyers continued their protest on Wednesday and even stopped litigants from entering the Saket court complex.

Lawyers greeted litigants with biscuit packets at Tis Hazari court on Wednesday. (Express photo: Anand Mohan J)

However, at Tis Hazari court, the centre of last week’s violent clash between lawyers and police, litigants were greeted with biscuit packets by lawyers at the entrance.

The apex bar body has alleged that the policemen remained “absent from duty, shouted slogans, used filthy language” and threatened to “smash and kill lawyers” openly.

The BCI in its letter has also demanded constitution of a high-level committee to find out who were involved in “planning the illegal protest of police yesterday”.

“Our demand is to arrest the guilty police officials within a period of one week, falling which we shall resort to peaceful dharna for the arrest of these people and for proper disciplinary action against them. The Bar stands united,” said the release.

“The demands of the policemen that they shall withdraw from the security of the judges and even of the judicial officers is really very disturbing for a democratic country like India, that too other demand is to allow them to form their union.

“In a country like ours, there is no place or permission in law for any union of police or armed forces. Thus, yesterday’s behaviour and conduct of the police is nothing, but gross misconduct and dereliction of their duties,” the release said.

Earlier, taking suo motu cognizance of media reports on the clash between lawyers and policemen at the Tis Hazari court complex, the High Court had said that Justice (retd) S P Garg, a former judge of the court, would hold a judicial inquiry into the matter.

A special investigation team (SIT) of the crime branch, headed by Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik, has recorded the statements of 11 policemen and six advocates injured in Saturday’s Tis Hazari clash to ascertain the sequence of events.

-With PTI inputs