[Tis Hazari Violence] DHCBA Calls For Abstention Of Work Today

The notice issued in this behalf read,

"An emergent meeting of the Executive Committee was held on Saturday, 02.11.2019, to discuss and deliberate upon the action to be taken to protest against gross and inhuman brutalities committed by personnel of Delhi Police on Advocates inside the Tis Hazari Court Complex on 02.11.2019, which brutalities also involved shooting an Advocate by a personnel of the Delhi Police at point blank range. The Committee expressed its alarm and anger over the incident and felt that the unprecedented incident which took place yesterday was one of the rarest of rare cases which warranted a call to members to abstain from work on Monday, 04.11.2019."

The scuffle which broke out between the police officials and lawyers at the Tis Hazari Court on Saturday over a parking dispute within the court premises aggravated as two lawyers got shot by the police and several other injured.

On Saturday, three judges of the high court had visited the injured lawyers undergoing treatment at St. Stephens hospital. In the suo moto proceedings initiated by the High Court against the incident yesterday, the bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar granted ex-gratia payment to the injured Advocates. The HCBA has also resolved to grant Rs. 2 lakh each to the lawyers in ICU, in addition to their medical expenses and Rs. 50,000/- each to the lawyers who got injured in lathi charge.

After hearing the parties, the high court also directed a judicial enquiry into the matter, to be headed by Justice SP Garg, former judge of the Delhi High Court, with the assistance of CBI, Vigilance and IB, and to be concluded within six weeks. Further, the court directed suspension of two erring police officials and transfer of two senior police officials.

The Bar Council of India, which also took a stern view of the incident, has appealed to the lawyers to resume work from Tuesday, i.e. November 5, in light of the prompt response given by the Delhi High Court.

Meanwhile, the DHCBA has released a list of proxy counsels who shall assist the court during the abstention of work to be observed by the members of the HCBA today.