Sort out differences amicably, Delhi High Court tells police, lawyers.

Source – thehindu.com

On a day when CRPF personnel were deployed at the police headquarters and lawyers abstained from work in all district courts in the capital, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday urged the representatives of lawyers and police to hold a joint meeting to “sort out their differences amicably.”

An argument over parking at the Tis Hazari Court complex between police and lawyers on Saturday led to violence in which people from both sides were injured. The issue has since snowballed, with thousands of Delhi police personnel with their families staging an unprecedented 11-hour protest at the police headquarters here on Tuesday seeking arrest of the lawyers involved in the clash.

Meanwhile, the strike by lawyers, demanding arrest of the police personnel involved in the clash, continued for the third day on Wednesday.

The High Court Bench headed by Chief Justice D.N. Patel expressed anguish over the situation, noting that “in our democratic polity, the Bar and the Police establishment represent and constitute, as it were, the preserver, and the protector, of the rule of law.” “They are but two faces of the coin of justice,” the High Court said.

The high court, which was hearing applications filed by the Centre seeking clarification and modification of its order passed on Sunday, said its order was self explanatory and did not require any changes.

The high court remarked that its order ordering police not to take any coercive action against the advocates in pursuance of two F.I.R.s registered in Saturday was meant for the particular FIRs only.

The home ministry had also sought to expunge some observations made by the high court against Delhi police official in connection with the Tis Hazari clash.

Taking note of the application, the high court clarified that the observations made in the Sunday order are “tentative in nature” which facts are to be proved on the basis of the evidences on record.

It said the inquiry panel, set up to look into the incident, will come up with its findings based on merits of the case and without being influenced by the order of the high court.

During the day, lawyers across all six district courts here continued their protest outside court premises demanding arrest of the police officials who made the order and who fired at a lawyer at the Tis Hazari incident.

At Saket court, the protesting lawyers shut the main gate of the court premises forcing several litigant who had come for court matters to stay outside. At Rohini court, one advocate allegedly tried to self-immolate and another tried jumping from 14th floor of the court building in protest against police.

At Karkardooma court premises, the protest was largely peaceful.

The day also saw Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) being deployed at the Police Headquarters as a precautionary measure following the protest by a large number of Delhi police personnel seeking revocation of the judicial order against their colleagues.

The protest had led to a traffic congestion in the ITO road stretch. To avoid similar gathering again on Wednesday a company of CRPF was stationed inside the police headquarters.