JAIPUR: Indefinite boycott of courts in protest against the police manhandling a lawyer at the Sikar district court premises last Friday has spread to other Shekhawati districts of Jhunjhunu and Churu causing considerable inconvenience to the litigants and tension to the public. The strike has affected other court-related activities such as registration, issue of birth and death certificates and passports in this region, which has many persons working in foreign countries.

In a meeting held at the Sikar court premises on Wednesday, attended by members of the Rajasthan Bar Association as well, the lawyers announced an all Rajasthan one-day strike on February 23. On February 25 the lawyers have convened a meeting in Sikar in which all the 25 members of the Rajasthan Bar Council would be invited, besides president and secretary of all 31 district Bar associations.

The situation has been aggravated by a pen down strike by the Government employees in the district offices in solidarity with the police personnel. The local papers reported about the police personnel boycotting their mess in Sikar for two days but the authorities have denied the news. Now it is advocate versus the Government employees though the lawyers insist that the district administration was providing moral support to the staff protest.

The Sikar District Bar Association had announced the indefinite boycott from Saturday last following the alleged beating of advocate Ramswaroop Bhalai by a constable in the court premises while the former was talking to one of his clients in the lock-up room. The police reportedly called the lawyer by his caste name and tried to lock him up as well. The situation grew into a crisis as the other lawyers in the court premises intervened.

The lawyers are presently demanding the suspension of Om Singh Tanwar, the constable who "attacked" the lawyer and a companion of his who fled the scene and transfer of Deputy Superintendent of Police Devendra Sharma, who allegedly misbehaved with the senior members of the Bar Association, including its president, Surendra Kulhari. The lawyers also point out that Mr.Tanwar was suspended two times in the past for dereliction of duty and mis-behaviour.

"So far there has been no initiative from the authorities on a settlement. We submitted a memorandum to the Collector on Monday. He said he would look into the matter," Surendra Kulhari said talking from Sikar. The representatives of the Bar Association had also met Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria on the issue.

The lawyers now proposed to raise the issue at the forthcoming All India Advocates Council meeting, scheduled to be held in Mumbai from March 4, Mr.Kulhari informed.

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