Bidar: Tension prevailed in Bhalki town on Friday after a clash between lawyers and employees of the Revenue Department on the taluk court premises.

Trouble started when members of the Revenue Department Employees' Association entered the court premises with a lawyer from Udgir in Maharashtra. The association members were forced to seek a lawyer from the neighbouring State after the Bhalki Taluk Bar Association and the Bidar District Bar Association resolved not to provide legal services to two revenue employees accused of assaulting a lawyer and his assistant. Owing to this, employees were not able to approach court for bail even after 11 days of the incident.

The employees have lodged a complaint against lawyer Dattatri Manikrao and his assistant, Krishnappa, accusing them of assaulting Ambarashetty and Fazal. However, the accused lawyer and his assistant have obtained anticipatory bail.

On Friday, shirastedar Basavaraj Ambarashetty and second division assistant Mohammad Fazal entered the court's main gate accompanied by a lawyer from Udgir. Bhalki Bar members objected to the employees employing a lawyer from outside the State.

They pushed the employees and their lawyer outside the court premises. The employees approached the police and came to the court with police security.

They entered the judge's chamber and tried to plead their case.

Slogans raised

However, the Bhalki Bar members led by Mr. Dattatri Manikrao and others shouted slogans against the employees and demanded that they plead their case only in an open court and not in a judge's chamber. The employees, however, tried to explain that they were forced to go to the chamber as the court's official time was over. The lawyers did not oblige and threatened to stage a dharna on the court premises if they did not come out of the chamber. The employees came out of the chamber without applying for bail.

Meanwhile, the Bidar District Bar Association decided to boycott courts on Saturday to express solidarity with Bhalki lawyers.

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