January 30,2018:

Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar, while issuing notice to Delhi Police and Government of Delhi, while expressing over the attacks and stated,“If such incidents are happening against lawyers, then what would happen to the man on the street?”.

On Tuesday, Delhi High Court issued notice to Delhi Police and Government of Delhi in a plea by Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into recent attacks on the Senior Advocates.

Plea was filed as a result of the attacks on Senior Advocate Kirti Uppal, who is also the President of the DHCBA, Senior Advocate Vikas Pahwa, who is senior member of the Executive Committee, and Advocate Ravi Sharma.

DHCBA had called for complete abstention from work on Thursday, January 25, to protest against the attacks.

DHCBA in its plea alleged that lawyers were attacked because they were representing Advocate Deepa Arya, who had been illegally arrested by Delhi Police on December 18 last year, even though the public prosecutor had given an assurance to the Court that no coercive action would be taken against her.

Petition filed through High Court Bar Association Secretary Amit Sharma states that in the three separate incidents, life and property of lawyers were put in danger by setting their houses and vehicles on fire.

It is stated that,“Attacks on the senior members is a direct attempt to terrorize them from performing their professional and statutory duties….The ghastly attack is not just upon them but a direct attack on the entire legal fraternity as the motive of the miscreants is to create an atmosphere of terror amongst the lawyers so that they refrain from taking up briefs against powerful lobbies.”

During the proceedings, Senior Advocate Kirti Uppal stated that he was more concerned about junior advocates,“If this can happen to us, it can happen to anyone.”

HC Bench further directed Delhi Police to provide security to all the lawyers who have been appearing for Deepa Arya, with the special focus on security of women lawyers.

Matter has now been posted for 31st January.

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