HC seeks report from State Govt by May 8

The Jharkhand High Court (HC) on Friday sought a detailed report from the State Government with respect to attack on at least four lawyers by May 8. 

A Division bench of Justice SC Mishra and Justice BB Mangalmurti, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Rajiv Kumar, also asked the lawyers’ body or the advocate concerned to lodge a court complaint in the assault case of Garhwa lawyer, instead of an FIR with the police.  

The bench, expressing anguish over the assault cases, observed that this depicts a sad and sordid picture that some of the advocates in the State have been subjected to unruly and even third degree treatments at the hands of the police.

The court further commented that this is a matter of great anguish and pain. “It goes without saying that no citizen in the country can be allowed to be subjected to such treatment, and if the matter relates to the practicing advocates and the courts, and other such persons, who, as part of their profession are expected to protect the rights of the individuals, and if there is an impression that the action impugned is due to the professional jealousy, the matter becomes more serious and has to be dealt with all firmness.” The court directed the Advocate General to submit a detailed report in this regard by Tuesday bringing on record the actual state of affairs.

It also directed the AG to submit the medical report of the Garhwa advocate, who had been assaulted by the police.

Meanwhile, General Secretary of the Advocate’s Association, Hemant Kumar Shikarwar, said that the Association’s members on Friday decided to continue to refrain from the judicial work on May 5 as well as on May 7 in continuation of the decision made earlier.

Notably, in the wake of four incidents of alleged police atrocities on advocates registered from different districts of Jharkhand, the Association had earlier decided to abstain from all legal works on May 4.

Garhwa lawyer Ashish Dubey has alleged that he was brutally beaten up by the police for taking video of the efforts being made by the police personnel to take out the vehicle of SP from heavy traffic and was even later taken into custody. Similarly, two other lawyers, Ranjeet Giri and Ashwini Kumar were allegedly brutally thrashed in Bokaro and Dhanbad respectively by the local police. 

Dubey, practicing in the Garhwa Civil Court has alleged the SP Garhwa of assault by his personal security guards. The victim’s advocate said that on the instructions of SP Garhwa, his personal guards thrashed Dubey openly on the road and lodged him in police hajat. Meanwhile, Dubey said that since he is handling a case against a powerful person of the State, he was attacked.