Tis Hazari clash: Bar Council asks associations to send representatives for amicably settling issue

The Bar Council of India (BCI) has written a letter to the Bar Council of Delhi asking to make a list of representatives of the various Bar Associations in Delhi and to send the names to Lieutenant Governor. This is so that a meeting can be convened between the police and the lawyers to amicably settle the issue, Zee Media sources revealed on Thursday. Meanwhile, all lawyers continue to abstain from work even on Thursday.

This comes after the Delhi High Court on Wednesday suggested that the issue be settled amicably. The Supreme Court on Thursday has also refused to hear a plea of the lawyers seeking to ban the media from reporting the protests.

Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik is on Thursday set to meet the police personnel injured in the clash between police and protesting lawyers over a parking issue at the Tis Hazari Court complex on November 2.

Earlier on Thursday, Dhir Singh Kasana, Secretary-General of the Coordination Committee of all district court Bar associations in Delhi, said that the abstinence from work in all Delhi District Courts will continue today as well. "In order to ensure the success of the movement, all are requested to maintain the movement peacefully. Litigants are permitted to have access to the courtrooms," he said.

Delhi Police had earlier faced a major embarrassment as Delhi High Court on Wednesday declined to give any clarification or modification of its earlier order saying that it was "self-explanatory" in connection with the Tis Hazari court incident. While the Bar Council of India alleged that protests by the police yesterday over the November 2 clash between advocates and cops at Tis Hazari Court Complex and subsequent incidents seem to be "politically motivated", the Delhi High court dismissed the application filed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) seeking clarification on the court's November 2 order.

The Bench also said that the judicial inquiry panel, which was set up to look into the clash, would continue to function without any influence of the observation made by the court.

Lawyers said the order of the Delhi High Court was clear and there was no reason to file an application for seeking clarification. The Bar Council of India (BCI) told the bench that the police should not be given any further power to lodge FIRs in this matter before prior permission of the court or the judicial enquiry.

The Bar Council had also demanded the arrest of guilty police officials within a week. "Our demand is to arrest the guilty police officials within a period of 1 week, failing which we shall resort to peaceful 'dharnas' for the arrest of these people and for proper disciplinary action against them. The Bar stands united," it said.

The lawyers have been protesting against a clash between police and lawyers at Tis Hazari Court complex on November 2, which left at least 20 cops and several advocates injured.

A day later on November 3, a group of advocates had allegedly assaulted a policeman outside the Saket district court.

Some advocates sustained bullet injuries after police allegedly opened fire on them.

A total of around 20 police personnel including Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), two Station House Officers (SHOs) and eight lawyers sustained injuries in the incident.

(With Zee Media newsroom inputs)