The Allahabad High Court has taken suo moto cognisance of an incident where a lawyer (in Advocate’s dress) was dragged and pulled out from his house by Etah police who then brutally assaulted him. The video of this incident was widely shared on social media thus invoking outrage from lawyers and Bar Associations across the country. The matter is listed to be heard before a bench comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh, today.
The court has likely responded to the letter written by Allahabad High Court Bar Association requesting the court to take “suo moto cognisance of the incident and pass appropriate order to maintain the law and order situation of the state”. The letter issued by Prabha Shankar Mishra, General Secretary of the Bar Association states, “The way the lawyer and his family members were brutally beaten up by the administration and the police, the advocate community is experiencing a sad feeling and it seems that the advocate community is most neglected community of all… the manner in which the constitutional decorum was vitiated, we are ashamed to call ourselves advocates.”
Even Bar Council of India issued a statement to this regard on December 26 requested the Chief Justice of India as well as Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court to take “immediate steps to find out the guilty police personnel and issue a direction to UP Government to immediately put them under suspension, transfer them and remove them from service,” reported LiveLaw.
Further, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), on December 28, deemed the incident to be “atrocious and unacceptable”. The SCBA further stated that the assault was a gross and calculated action on the part of the police in total contravention of law.
The Etah incident followed the search and seizure raid of Delhi police at Advocate Mehmood Pracha’s office which also met with similar outrage from the lawyer community. Pracha, known to have secured bail for Bhim Army Chief, Chandrashekhar Azad during anti-CAA protests, is currently representing Gulfisha Fatima, a student and a Delhi riots accused facing incarceration under serious charges of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and is also representing about 10 survivors of the Delhi riots.
Related:
Mehmood Pracha’s office raid a “pressure tactic” by Police: Delhi Riot victims
Adv Mehmood Pracha’s Office raid: Court summons IO for video footage
Delhi riots: Activist Gulfisha Fatima gets bail, but will remain in jail under UAPA