Lawyers in Delhi on Sunday said they will resume their strike at all district courts from Monday, after talks with the city’s police reportedly failed, the Hindustan Times reported. A meeting between top Delhi Police officers and members of the Bar Council of India and Bar Council of Delhi was held at Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s office on Sunday.
Trouble began on November 2, when lawyers and policemen clashed outside the Tis Hazari court in the national Capital over a parking dispute. Around 30 people were injured. On November 4, video footage showed a lawyer assaulting a policeman on his bike at the Saket district court. The lawyer also threw a helmet at the policeman.
The lawyers had suspended their protests on Friday following intervention from the Supreme Court, which had blamed both the advocates and the police for the clashes. “Nobody claps with one hand,” the Supreme Court had observed on Friday. “Problems are from both sides. We don’t want to say more. We are silent for a reason.”
“Despite our cooperation, no concrete step has been taken to arrest the police persons who fired at advocates,” Dhir Singh Kasana, the secretary general of coordination committee of all district courts, said. “This meeting [on Sunday] was arranged by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Bhupender Yadav at whose residence we had a meeting on Saturday to discuss the ongoing issue.”
Kasana said that during Sunday’s meeting, the police officers refused to arrest the two assistant sub-inspectors – one who had allegedly dragged an advocate to jail following the parking dispute, and the other who had allegedly fired and injured two lawyers. Bar Council of India President Manan Mishra said the strike will continue until the two police officers were arrested.
The Delhi High Court had taken note of the Tis Hazari clash on November 3, and ordered that no action should be taken against the lawyers. However, it transferred two police officers and ordered a judicial inquiry into the violence.
Senior police officers said on Sunday that a team of 10 representatives, including two special commissioners, two joint commissioners and deputy commissioners, met the lawyers’ representatives at Baijal’s residence. “During the discussion, it was explained by the Delhi Police officers since the judicial inquiry is already underway, further action can be taken against any of the alleged persons only on the basis of the outcome of the inquiry,” a police officer told the Hindustan Times. He added that Baijal had appealed to both the police officers and lawyers to continue talks.
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