The Bar leaders denied the allegation of manhandling, saying it was just a "verbal duel between the lawyers and the judge".
A trial court judge was today allegedly slapped and manhandled by a group of lawyers at a district court here, sparking strong protest from the judicial officers' association which demanded security and action against the culprits.
The Bar leaders denied the allegation of manhandling, saying it was just a "verbal duel between the lawyers and the judge".
Additional district judge Pankaj Gupta, who presides over the court dealing with the cases under the Hindu Marriage Act at Rohini district courts, was slapped and manhandled by a group of lawyers, Delhi Judicial Officers Association said in a press release.
"One lawyer started obstructing the judicial functioning when the Judge was making an inquiry with regard to a fictitious petition filed before him. The Judge called upon the lawyer not to interfere in his inquiry.
"The enraged lawyer went out and came back with a group of lawyers. First, they abused the judge and thereafter attempted to climb the dais and when the staff of the court tried to stop them, they thrashed the staff. They then slapped the judge and asked him to stand by the wall and again slapped and beat him," the Association said.
BS Rana, chairperson of the Bar Council of Delhi, denied the charge saying "according to my information, the judge was not assaulted. It was merely a verbal altercation."
The judges' body condemned the incident and said they would seek an appointment with the chief justice of Delhi High Court to express "the insecurity felt by the judicial officers and to make a request to take appropriate remedial measures with respect to safety and security to avoid the recurrence of such an incident."
An urgent meeting of the Delhi Judicial Service Association and Delhi Higher Judicial Service Association was convened within hours of the incident at Tis Hazari courts complex here.
In an unanimous resolution, they said such acts of hooliganism was on the rise and it had gone to the extent of physically assaulting a judge.
"Such acts are unprecendented and must be condemned in strongest possible words," they said.
The judges' bodies also slammed the New Rohini District Courts Bar Association for allegedly shielding their guilty members by "justifying their criminal acts".
The judges' associations also decided to convene a general body meeting to decide the future course of action.
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