No threat to six city advocates: Maharashtra government tells Bombay HC

The state government on Wednesday told the Bombay high court there is no threat to six criminal lawyers as claimed in a few newspapers.

The court was hearing an application filed by a criminal lawyer (name withheld), seeking a direction to the state government to expeditiously decide his appeal seeking an arms licence, which he sought in December 2008. However, the deputy commissioner of police (DCP), arms and ammunition, rejected his application on June 6, 2009, stating that it would disrupt public peace.

In his application, the advocate stated that after advocate Shahid Azmi was shot dead in February this year, he apprehends a greater threat to his life. He also cited newspaper reports that said that the underworld elements had six more advocates on their hit list.

“The nature of the petitioner’s professional work is almost identical to that of deceased advocate Shahid Azmi and the petitioner seriously apprehends that he would meet the same fate as Azmi if the gangsters/underworld dons carry out their threats in pursuance to the “desh bhakti (patriotic)” ideology to kill lawyers defending terror suspects arrested in blast cases,” the petition said.

The additional public prosecutor, however, informed the court that the accused had not said anything about other advocates they plan to kill.

Justices DB Bhosale and justice AR Joshi directed home minister RR Patil to expeditiously decide the advocate’s appeal within four weeks. “Advocates present in this court must know there is no threat to six advocates as said in newspapers,” Bhosale said.

“Prima facie, we feel you [state government] haven’t considered his application properly,” Bhosale said. The court said the DCP hadn’t given a reason to substantiate his order.