New Delhi, November 5
As thousands of cops shouted “Humara Commissioner (of Police) kaisa ho, Kiran Bedi jaisa ho” while demanding action against lawyers involved in attack on their colleagues, their protest today was reminiscent of the 1988 police-lawyer clash at Tis Hazari Courts Complex when the then “super cop” of Delhi had invited the ire of advocates.
It was in January 1988 when the Delhi Police arrested advocate Rajesh Agnihotri after he was apprehended by the students of St Stephen’s College for allegedly stealing from a women’s common room.
When the advocate was produced in Tis Hazari Court on January 16 that year with his hands cuffed, lawyers started protesting saying it was illegal.
The Metropolitan Magistrate discharged the lawyer the same day and also directed the Commissioner of Police to take action against the guilty police officials.
The lawyers went on strike from January 18 in support of their demand for action against police officials.
Bedi, the first woman IPS officer, on January 20 made a statement at a press conference justifying the police action and criticising the order of the magistrate in discharging the alleged “thief”.
The next day, when a group of lawyers sought to meet Bedi to express their concern at her office, located in the same Tis Hazari Courts Complex, a lathi-charge was ordered on them in which several lawyers were injured.
For the next two months, the lawyers stopped courts from functioning in Delhi and neighbouring states, demanding Bedi’s resignation.
The strike was called off after the Delhi High Court constituted a two-judge committee headed by Justice DP Wadhwa, the then sitting judge at HC, to investigate the matter.
The committee in its report held that hand-cuffing of the lawyer was illegal and recommended that Bedi be transferred.
The incident haunted Bedi in 2015 when she was declared a candidate for the post of Delhi Chief Minister by the BJP. Lawyers of all six district courts in the national capital condemned the BJP decision to nominate Bedi.
The infamous episode
- In January 1988, the Delhi Police arrested advocate Rajesh Agnihotri for allegedly stealing from a women’s common room; he was produced in Tis Hazari Court with his hands cuffed, after which lawyers started protesting saying it was illegal
- The Metropolitan Magistrate discharged the lawyer the same day and also directed the Commissioner of Police to act against the guilty police officials. Bedi had justified the police action.
from The Tribune https://ift.tt/2JUvkOo
via Today’s News Headlines
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