Delhi district court lawyers have begun an indefinite ceasework after their coordinating committee reached an impasse with police over alleged threats at Shahdara police station and the handling of an assault case involving an advocate.
The Coordination Committee of All District Court Bar Associations of Delhi announced the decision in a circular issued on Tuesday, following an online meeting. It said lawyers would abstain from all judicial work until their demands were fulfilled, including action against specific police officers and safeguards for the dignity and independence of the legal profession.
The decision followed an initial call for a day-long abstention on October 27 over what the committee described as alleged police high-handedness. The committee has also asked advocates to assemble outside their respective district courts on October 28 at 11am to raise awareness about the allegations. A peaceful march from Patiala House Courts to Delhi Police Headquarters has been planned for October 29 at noon.
The dispute relates to an alleged scuffle at Shahdara police station on October 23, in which advocate Lalit Bansal suffered a serious head injury. Advocate Amulya Ratan filed a complaint alleging assault. According to Rouse Avenue Court Bar Association secretary Vijay Bishnoi, police officers had assured advocates that the accused, who were present at the station, would be arrested.
Bishnoi said that when a lawyer went to the police station on October 24 to obtain a copy of the first information report, he learnt that the accused had been released. The lawyers have also alleged that, when they went to the station later that day to raise their concerns, a police officer loaded and waved a revolver and threatened them.
The police version differs. The officer who allegedly threatened the lawyers filed an FIR alleging that 15 to 20 advocates abused and intimidated him and the station house officer over the non-arrest in the assault case. The FIR alleges that one advocate grabbed the SHO’s hand and tried to pull him, while other lawyers threatened police personnel. The officer also said CCTV cameras had captured the incident and sought registration of a case.
A senior police officer said the claims made by the lawyers were being verified. The source report did not specify the identity of the officers facing the lawyers’ demands or the current status of the complaints and FIRs.
The ceasework places the functioning of Delhi’s district courts under immediate strain, although the committee’s circular did not set out exemptions or an end date. The committee appealed to advocates to maintain complete unity, discipline and solidarity during the proposed demonstrations. Dhir Singh Kasana, former secretary-general of the Saket Court Bar Association, said the dispute could have been resolved internally but that the police FIR had led lawyers to unite in protest.
