The Hindu : New Delhi News : Judge manhandled by lawyers in open court

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Thursday, Jul 09, 2009
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Judge manhandled by lawyers in open court

Staff Reporter

A lawyer allegedly started obstructing judicial functioning

Allegedly abused, slapped the Judge
Allegedly beat up the court staff

NEW DELHI: A lower court judge was allegedly manhandled by some lawyers after one of them got involved in an altercation with him during the proceedings in a matrimonial dispute case at Rohini here on Wednesday.

Additional District and Session Judge Pankaj Gupta has lodged a complaint with the police alleging that he and his office staff were manhandled by some lawyers.

According to the Delhi Judicial Officers’ Association, the Judge was hearing a matter in the pre-lunch session and was making an inquiry regarding a “fictitious” petition when a lawyer started obstructing the judicial functioning.

The Judge asked the lawyer not to interfere in the inquiry, following which the lawyer went out and came back with several others. They allegedly abused the Judge and attempted to climb the dais. When the court staff tried to stop them, they allegedly beat them up.

According to a release issued by the Association, they slapped the Judge and asked him to stand by the wall and again slapped him and beat him. The lawyers also allegedly damaged court furniture.

Subsequently the police were informed. The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer Delhi) rushed to the spot to review security arrangements inside the court premises.

The police said they received a complaint from the Judge in the evening. “We are registering a case on the basis of the complaint. Provisions pertaining to riot, preventing public servants from doing their duty, manhandling them and destroying public property will be added to the case,” said a senior police officer.

In the wake of the incident, an urgent meeting of the office-bearers and special invitees of the Delhi Judicial Service Association and the Delhi Higher Judicial Service Association was held at the Tis Hazari courts. A resolution passed at the emergency meeting said “acts of hooliganism and misbehaviour by the lawyers in the courts are on the rise and it has gone to the extent of physically assaulting the Judge while he was discharging a judicial function on the dais. Such act of hooliganism is unprecedented and must be condemned in the strongest possible words”.

The Associations unanimously resolved that the executive members would seek an appointment with the Delhi High Court Chief Justice to express their security concerns.

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