In Tuesday’s protest, a blast from the past
In 1988 and 1998, clashes between lawyers and Delhi cops led to big rows
NEW DELHI: “We need you”read a placard with a photo of former top cop Kiran Bedi at the protest by police personnel outside the Delhi Police headquarters on Tuesday. The demand hasits roots in an episode, during Bedi’s tenure as DCP (north) in 1988, which was quite similar to one that triggered Tuesday’s agitation.
Until thirty-one years ago, the Delhi police and lawyers at the Tis Hazari courts worked together --- literally under the same roof. On the second floor of the court complex, among the offices of the public prosecutor and chambers of the advocates, there was the office of the deputy commissioner of police (north district) Kiran Bedi.
On January 15, 1988, a man was arrested from a woman’s washroom at St. Stephen’s College. SBS Tyagi, who was one of the officers then serving under Bedi, said, “The man was held for theft on a woman’s complaint. He did not tell anyone that he was a lawyer. The following day, when our officers were producing the man in the court in handcuffs, the other lawyers recognised him and started protesting. The magistrate discharged him. That was the beginning of the problem.”
Another officer, who did not wish to be named, said while the episode launched a clash between the lawyers and the police, the event that really triggered the faceoff took place a week later when lawyers demanded to meet Bedi at her second-floor office. “On January 21, we were in a meeting for the Republic Day preparations. A group of lawyers said they wanted to meet madam. She asked them to wait outside her office. They were angry and started breaking flower pots. This led to a clash between the policemen and the protesting lawyers, forcing the cops to lathi charge. There were more clashes in the following weeks.”
The lawyers continued their protests and on February 17, a group of about 3,000 people stormed the court premises and attacked the advocates and damaged their vehicles/properties. The lawyers blamed Bedi as being responsible for both incidents — for ordering baton charge and engineering attack by outsiders.
Later, the government set up a probe commission which concluded that the lawyer’s arrest for theft was “justified” but termed his hand-cuffing “illegal”. It also described the subsequent police action as “indiscriminate and unjustified”.
On Tuesday evening, Bedi, who is currently Puducherry’s lieutenant governor said, “.... I remained firm and refused to budge to the demand of the lawyers seeking suspension/arrest of the cops responsible for hand cuffing the advocate,” she said, adding that the person(arrested for theft) did not identify himself as an advocate at the time of his arrest and also gave a different name to the police.
In the present incident too, the “Delhi Police should take a stand and be firm on it come what may”, she said.
In September 1998, the Vasant Kunj Police arrested a lawyer who was allegedly trying to resolve the alleged take-over of an educational institution. Cops allegedly stonewalled requests to produce the arrested lawyer the next day. Some lawyers allegedly beat up the policemen accompanying the lawyer when he was being produced before the Patiala House court next evening.
Lawyers across trial courts struck work in solidarity with the arrested lawyer. “Both sides showed maturity and the matter was settled through talks. A committee comprising policemen and lawyers inquired into the event,” senior lawyer Karan Singh, the former secretary of the Patalia House Court Bar Association, who was involved in the efforts to defuse the situation, said.
Two years later in June 2000, another clash was reported when lawyers were stopped from marching to Parliament. “The issue was again resolved through dialogue,” Karan Singh said.
NEWDELHI:THE Tis Hazari district court, one of the busiest city courts, wore a deserted look on Tuesday save for a few lawyers in black coats in a huddle, discussing the happenings in the past two days. On a regular day, busy advocates, litigants and policemen rushing in and out of courts make up the scene here.
“The lawyers have decided not to present any cases. They are here only to stage their protest against the high handedness of the police,” says advocate Vikas Tomar whose chamber is located right at the entrance of the court complex. Speaking about the absence of police officials who have been staging protests across the city on Tuesday, Tomar says, “It is better without them here. At least no firing is happening.”
On Saturday, the court witnessed to a clash between police personnel and lawyers over a parking dispute, which quickly snowballed into a major incident of violence leading to about 21 policemen, and eight lawyers getting injured. The clash escalated in the following two days with incidents of violence being reported from two other courts.
“For past two days, every morning litigants come here, but are driven away by the advocates as soon as they arrive by around 10 am,” said Sanjay Anand, a court staff. “We just want some decision to be taken. All work has been stopped for the past two days,” he said.
Owners of tea shops and food stalls situated outside the court said business has been hit since they mostly depend on court visitors. “I have had no sale for the past two days since public is not coming in. Several other shops have remained shut for the past two days. I did not even get fresh stocks delivered today,” says Sachin, a cold coffee and icecream shop owner.
Conversations among the advocates, on the other hand, centered around the differences and distrust with the police. “We have always shared a difference of opinion with the police, but it has never escalated into someone opening fire. They are the ones who started this in the first place,” says advocate Chandan Rawat.
At the Saket court complex too, litigants were not allowed to enter as about 500 advocates staged protest inside the court. Some lawyers allegedly beat up a policeman at the court complex on Monday. The CCTV footage of the incident later went viral on the social media. “The gates will remain closed and no business will take place until the policemen who flouted rules are arrested,” said Pankaj Srivastava, an advocate practising at the Saket court.
Security guards deployed outside the court gates say that several litigants returned home as they were not allowed entry.
NEWDELHI:DELHI’S lieutenant governor (L-G) Anil Baijal on Tuesday directed Delhi’s chief secretary Vijay Dev to ensure those injured in the violence – including lawyers, police officials and civilians – get the best medical treatment, said a statement issued by the L-G’S office.
Baijal also asked Amulya Patnaik, the police commissioner, to ensure that senior officials in the force personally visit the injured officers at the earliest. Earlier on Tuesday, Baijal was briefed on the matter by the chief of the intelligence department of Delhi