Lucknow, 05 Sept: Lawyers across all districts of Uttar Pradesh extended their strike for three more days, starting Monday, following the directives of the UP Bar Council. They’re protesting the lathicharge on lawyers by police in Hapur.
The lawyers demanded the transfer of Hapur District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, filing of FIRs against the policemen, withdrawal of false cases against lawyers and compensation for those injured during the lathicharge.
Following UP Bar Council directions, lawyers in all districts of Uttar Pradesh extended their protest for three additional days, beginning Monday. They are protesting police lathicharges on attorneys in Hapur. attorneys urged that the Hapur District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police be transferred, that FIRs be filed against police, that fraudulent charges against attorneys be dropped, and that compensation be paid to individuals hurt during lathicharge.
On August 25, an incident occurred on a key road in Hapur district between a woman lawyer and a policeman. The cops have filed a FIR against the attorney and her father. Last Tuesday, attorneys gathered to protest the registration of a FIR outside the Hapur police station. Several attorneys were hurt when police used lathicharge. Lawyers protested, disrupting court procedures around the state.
Shiv Kishor Gaur, president of the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh, announced a three-day walkout that might be prolonged if their demands are not met. “We had several meetings with members of the high court bar and government representatives to investigate the matter. Our strike will continue until our demands are met,” Gaur declared. To investigate the event, the state government formed a Special Investigation Team led by Meerut Commissioner and included of IG Meerut and DIG Moradabad.
According to Kunwar Pal Sharma, head of the Western UP Adhivakta Sangharsh Samiti, they are joining the protest at the request of the UP Bar Council. “We met with the Meerut Zone IG to present a memorandum of demands. The SIT should include a retired Supreme Court or high court judge,” Sharma remarked.
Yogesh Sharma, head of the Kasganj district bar council in eastern Uttar Pradesh, said the Advocates Protection Act should be implemented in the state as soon as possible. “All facilities and benefits available to advocates in other states should be made available to those in UP.” “Police who are responsible should be punished,” he continued.
Despite the chief justice’s plea, members of the Allahabad High Court’s bar association have opted to withdraw from judicial work on Tuesday.
According to a news statement published by the High Court Bar Association, an emergency meeting of the attorneys’ group was convened on Monday night, during which members voiced their outrage that no action had been taken against those responsible for a police lathi-charge on lawyers in Hapur. They agreed to refrain from court activity on Tuesday as well.
On Monday, a bench of Chief Justice Pratinkar Dewakar and Justice M C Tripathi informed attorneys that courts will reopen on Tuesday and asked them to return to work.
According to the additional attorney general, retired district judge Hari Nath Pandey has been appointed as the chairman of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating into the Hapur event in response to the lawyers’ request.
The court further ordered that no coercive action be taken against any lawyer, whether mentioned or not in the event. In response to the attorneys’ request for the transfer of the officials in question, the court stated that it cannot issue an order at this time because the SIT report is still pending.
At an emergency meeting on Sunday, the State Bar Council called on attorneys throughout Uttar Pradesh to continue the strike till September 6.
