Other States - Orissa   

Court reopened amid tight security

— Photo: Lingaraj Panda

ACTING TOUGH: Security personnel driving away the striking lawyers from the court premises in Berhampur on Tuesday.

BERHAMPUR: Amidst massive deployment of police force and lathicharge on agitating lawyers the Berhampur district judge court was reopened by the administration on Tuesday. It also led to road blockades by lawyers. Thirty lawyers were arrested. Out of them six were charged with attacking the district judge.

The district judge and other judges entered the court premises after a gap of 139 days. The courts in the city had remained closed due to agitation by lawyers of the Ganjam Bar Association demanding establishment of a permanent bench of the High Court in the city. The Orissa High Court last week had directed Ganjam SP S. Devadutta Singh, who is now in-charge of the Berhampur police district, to take steps to get the Berhampur court reopened.

Twelve platoons of police force were deployed on the court premises from early morning. The motorcade of judges entered the court premises early at around 9.20 am amidst tight security. Only the front gate of the court was opened and no lawyer or general public were inside the court premises. At around 11.30 am a group of lawyers entered the court premises through rear side. Police resorted to lathicharge on them. Even after chasing them out of the court premises the policemen entered the Bar Association hall and beat up the lawyers who had taken shelter there. Police cordoned off the bar association building and did not let any one to come out of it. The lawyers inside it were arrested by the waiting police when they came out at around 7 pm.

Agitated over the incidents a group of lawyers blocked the NH 217 near the court for over five hours from 1.30 pm. Ganjam Bar Association president S.N. Rath condemned the attack on the lawyers who were involved in a peaceful demonstration. He said the lawyers’ would hold meeting on Wednesday to decide their future course of action. He added that several other bar associations of the district have also condemned the police lathi charge on the lawyers. CPI-M State secretariat member Ali Kishore Patnaik condemned the process through which police and administration reopened the court. According to him the stumbling block could have been removed through discussions.

Speaking to newsmen Mr Singh justified the police action. He alleged that six of the eight lawyers arrested had tried to attack the district judge. According to him the lawyers had also attacked a DSP.

But the lawyers of the Ganjam Bar Association alleged that they were being implicated in false cases by the police.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Protest against privatisation
Question papers faulty, allege Ravenshaw students
Slum-dwellers hold demonstration
Dharakote firing: two held
Panel constituted
Jaundice scare grips medicos
Cracker blast toll goes up to two
Heatwave conditions continue in interior areas
Naveen flayed on law and order
Court reopened amid tight security

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu