New Delhi: The Delhi High Court issued Sunday a notice and sought response of the Centre, Delhi Police Commissioner and the Chief Secretary on the clash Saturday between lawyers and police at Tis Hazari court here.
A bench headed by Chief Justice DN Patel, which took suo motu cognisance of media reports, asked police officers, who were involved in the clashes, to be present in the court at 3.00pm when it will commence hearing on the issue.
The decision to hold an urgent hearing was taken after the chief justice concluded a meeting with senior judges of the high court and other senior officers of the Delhi Police at 12.30pm.
The bench said it wants to defuse the situation and the judges held a meeting for four hours last evening and they are here since morning to calm down the situation.
Lawyers and police had clashed at Tis Hazari Court complex here Saturday afternoon during which at least 10 police personnel and several lawyers were injured while 17 vehicles vandalised, according to officials and eyewitnesses.
Lawyers had claimed that four of their colleagues were injured, including one in police firing, but police denied that it had opened fire.
The injured included Additional Commissioner of Police (North District) Harinder Kumar, SHOs of Kotwali and Civil Lines, and the operator of Deputy Commissioner of Police (north), police had alleged.
Meanwhile in a separate development, the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) announced Sunday a compensation of Rs 2,00,000 each for two lawyers who are currently in ICU and Rs 50,000 for the injured advocates. KC Mittal, the chairman of Bar Council of Delhi, said a judicial inquiry should be ordered immediately in the incident.
“We along with judges visited the lawyers in hospital. The BCD has decided to grant Rs 2,00,000 each to two lawyers in ICU, in addition to their medical expenses and Rs 50,000 each to the lawyers, who got injured in the lathicharge. We are shocked that till now no FIR has been registered. It is high time, not only to register FIR but all of them to be arrested, suspended, transferred and dismissed. A judicial inquiry should be ordered immediately,” a release from the Bar Council of Delhi said.
“Any enquiry by special commissioner of police and/or any investigation by crime branch of Delhi Police or any other police official will not be acceptable at any cost. The Bar Council of Delhi stands with all the lawyers and unitedly we will fight against all atrocities and brutalities,” it further said.
Agencies