Police atrocities on lawyer: Etah CJM, HCBA submit report

PRAYAGRAJ: The chief judicial magistrate (CJM) of Etah and the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) on Monday filed their report in the Allahabad high court on the alleged police atrocities on an Etah-based lawyer and his family

A report from the Bar Council of UP was also filed before the court. The bar council also made a request to get the case investigated by some independent agency, like CBI or crime branch of CID.

The council also submitted to the court some documents, photographs and a compact disk related to the case.

A bench, comprising chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saurabh Shyam Shamshery, fixed January 19 as the next date of hearing in the case.

On December 29 last year the Allahabad high court took suo moto cognizance of police atrocities on a practising lawyer and his family in Etah and asked the CJM to submit a complete report by January 8. The incident is said to have taken place on December 21.

The court had then observed, “Having considered the facts stated in the letters, we deem it appropriate to have a complete report of the incident through CJM, Etah.

The CJM is directed to make necessary inquiry and submit a report to this court on or before next date of listing.”

As per the averments in the bar council letter, lawyer Rajendra Sharma was beaten and manhandled by police and his relatives, too, were harassed and humiliated. A letter has also been received by the secretariat of the chief justice from the HCBA on the same issue.