What Is Lawyers-Delhi Police Skirmish About? All You Need to Know

The conflict between the lawyers and Delhi police escalated with lawyers forcing all the lower courts shut.

The face-off between the lawyers and Delhi Police continues to gain momentum.

(Photo: PTI/Altered by The Quint)

The face-off between lawyers and Delhi Police continues to gain momentum on Wednesday, 6 November with the Delhi district court lawyers boycotting their judicial work for the third consecutive day.

The conflict escalated with protesting lawyers forcing all the lower courts shut.

What started off as a tiff over parking near Tis Hazari Court on Saturday, 2 November, turned violent when several police personnel and lawyers were injured. As the events unfolded, many policemen and their families took to the streets of Delhi on Tuesday with slogans of “We want justice.”

How did a squabble turn into such a complex clash between the lawyers vs policemen within a span of four days? Let's find out.

• Lawyers and police clashed at the Tis Hazari Court complex in Delhi in the afternoon of Saturday, 2 November wherein at least 20 police personnel and several lawyers were injured, and many vehicles were torched.
• Immediately after the clash, Delhi High Court Chief Justice DN Patel held a five-hour-long meeting with senior judges to look into the matter.
• Six cases were registered on separate complaints of the district judge of Tis Hazari court, four advocates, and a Delhi Police constable who was injured in the incident. All of these cases were transferred to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Crime Branch.
• Delhi High Court Bar Association president Mohit Mathur requested all members on Sunday, 3 November to abstain from work on Monday, 4 November as a mark of protest.
• Many advocates in the Delhi High Court and all district courts in the city and in Lucknow, Telangana and Odisha to name a few, boycotted their judicial work. They refused to participate and appear in proceedings, while only proxy counsel took the dates. Lawyers at the six district courts in the national capital — Tis Hazari, Karkardooma, Saket, Dwarka, Rohini and Patiala House — abstained from work throughout the day.

• Things became worse when lawyers reportedly thrashed a policeman outside the Saket Court on Monday, 4 November. A purported video of the incident also showed one of them "slapping" the cop as well. Following this incident, two FIRs were registered against unidentified persons seen hitting the policemen in the video.
• On Tuesday, 5 November, thousands of police personnel protested outside the Police Headquarters in Delhi, demanding action against those involved in the attack on their colleague outside Saket Court. The surging crowds held placards with slogans such as “We are human in police uniforms” and “Protectors need protection.”
• After the chief of police Amulya Patnaik urged the cops to resume duty, Bar Council of India (BCI) Chariman asked various bodies to identify lawyers “indulging in hooliganism” and requested advocates to end their protest to prevent bringing “a bad name to the institution.”

• Amidst the chaos, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed that no coercive action would be taken against any lawyer on the basis of FIRs lodged with regard to the 2 November incident.
• The unprecedented siege by the policemen concluded after 11 hours on Tuesday after assurances by Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Satish Chandra that a review petition will be filed against the Delhi High Court order.
• Scores of angry lawyers continued their strike for the third day and, raising slogans, gathered outside the district courts in Rohini and Saket on Wednesday, 6 November. The lawyers did not let litigants access to the court premises as part of their protest.
• During the same day, a bench of Chief Justice C Hari Shankar disposed of the Centre's applications seeking clarification and review of its Tuesday order which said no coercive action can be taken against advocates but said the protection should not be applicable on the subsequent incidents.
• A few hours later on Wednesday, District judge of Tis Hazari Court Girish Kathpalia “strictly” directed officials not to share any video clip, photograph or text pertaining to the recent clashes, or “gossip” on the issue with anyone on social media.

(With inputs from PTI)