Two lawyers attempted to commit suicide at a court in Rohini in Delhi on Wednesday, the Hindustan Times reported. The lawyers were protesting against the Delhi Police, with whom other advocates had a violent clash outside the Tis Hazari court on November 2.
One of the lawyers doused himself in kerosene and tried to set himself afire, but was stopped in time by other advocates. The other lawyer climbed a building in the Rohini court complex and threatened to jump off it. A senior police officer said the lawyer had now descended from the building.
“The lawyers there neither alerted any policemen nor did anyone make a call to the police control room,” the officer said.
“Our fight is against only those policemen who fired at us and lathicharged us,” an unidentified lawyer protesting outside the Rohini court said. “We will protest till they are arrested.”
The protesting lawyers did not allow litigants to enter the premises of Patiala House and Saket district courts on Wednesday. Bar association members said litigants were not let in due to security reasons, as there were no police officials to conduct security checks, PTI reported.
However, at Tis Hazari court, lawyers welcomed litigants with packets of biscuits, The Indian Express reported.
Bar Council of India Chairperson Manan Mishra said that any incident of violence involving lawyers, police and the public will not be tolerated, PTI reported. Mishra told reporters in the Supreme Court premises that required action will be taken against lawyers involved in incidents of violence.
However, Mishra also accused policemen of making provocative remarks against judges and lawyers during their protest outside the police headquarters on Tuesday. He added that the two first information reports the police had filed against lawyers were unjustified. Mishra demanded that policemen who were involved in the November 2 violence be arrested.
Meanwhile, outside the Karkardooma court, lawyers held a “chai protest”, News18 reported. They set up a tea stall and invited police personnel to have tea with them. The news channel also reported a clash between lawyers and policemen at a court in Alwar, Rajasthan, after a lawyer slapped a policeman.
The Delhi Police began a protest against lawyers on Tuesday morning and ended it only after 11 hours when senior officers assured them that their grievances would be addressed. The protestors relented after Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Satish Golcha urged them to resume duty.
Golcha announced a compensation of at least Rs 25,000 each for the injured policemen. He assured the demonstrators outside the police headquarters that a review petition would be filed against the Delhi High Court order in connection with a clash between the police and lawyers at the Tis Hazari Courts Complex on November 2.
On Sunday, the court had ordered that no action should be taken against the lawyers involved in the Tis Hazari clash. The court also ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence and the transfer of two senior police officers. There was violent confrontation between the police and lawyers at Saket Court on Monday.
On Tuesday evening, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal said it was imperative to restore the trust between the police and lawyers, and ensure justice is done impartially. Baijal made the remarks after a meeting with the city police commissioner, chief secretary and other senior administration officials.
The Bar Council of India claimed in a statement that the protest on Tuesday appeared to have been “politically managed”, the Hindustan Times reported. “In our view it was the darkest day in the history of Independent India,” it said. “Certainly it seems to be a politically managed move and it is very sad.”
“We tried to defuse the situation and had asked Bar Association of Delhi to recall the strike,” the Bar Council of India said. “But, after seeing yesterday’s conduct of the police personnel… BCI cannot sit tight.”
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