Tis Hazari court clash: SC issues notices all round on plea seeking FIR against police

On Monday, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde issued notice to several parties such as the Centre, the Delhi government, Bar Council of Delhi, Delhi police and the Bar Association of Tis Hazari on a petition filed by lawyer Reepak Kansal.

The petitioner sought the registration of an FIR against every police personnel who entered the Tis Hazari court premises on November 2, 2019, without the permission of the district judge. Kansal alleged that the police had not only beaten up male and female lawyers but also damaged their properties. 

Another prayer in the petition is that a trained security force should be deployed instead of the Delhi police in all the courts. Earlier, the Delhi police had dismissed Kansal’s plea. The incident in question dates back to November 2, when clashes broke out between lawyers and police outside the Tis Hazari court premises.  

Read: Delhi Police Announces Slew Of Actions After Day-long Protests By Cops

The clashes between Delhi police and lawyers

The origin of the dispute was a fight over a parking spot. On November 3, the Delhi High Court ordered a judicial inquiry by a retired High Court judge into this incident. However, the impasse continued and Republic TV accessed a shocking video in which a lawyer can be seen assaulting a policeman outside the main gate of the Saket court in the national capital. 

Thereafter, hundreds of police officials staged a protest at the Police Headquarters in Delhi. After the police approached the Delhi HC seeking a clarification on its original order, the latter advocated mediation between the “responsible” representatives of the lawyers and the police. Moreover, the court made it clear that its direction of not taking any coercive action against the advocates was only applicable to the FIRs relating to the Tis Hazari court incident.  

In January 2020, PTI sources revealed that the Delhi police had identified a woman lawyer who was the first person to spark off the clashes. Reportedly, she torched the motorcycle of a policeman. According to sources, the police identified the lawyer with the help of multiple CCTV cameras.  

(With ANI inputs)

Read: SC Refuses Urgent Hearing For Plea Seeking Action Against Police In Tis Hazari Incident

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