Allahabad High Court orders inquiry into assault on lawyer

A day after the Supreme Court Bar Association condemned the alleged police attack on a lawyer, the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday took a Suo Motu cognisance and ordered an inquiry into the December 21 incident at Etah district of western Uttar Pradesh.

A bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh directed the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Etah "to make a necessary inquiry by availing all relevant facts including audio visual electronic documents and submit a complete report".

"The District Magistrate, Etah as well as Senior Superintendent of Police, Etah are directed to co-operate the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Etah and they shall supply all relevant facts and documents as desired by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Etah to furnish report of the incident to this court," the bench said.

The HC acted on a letter sent by the statutory body, Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh to the Chief Justice with a request to take appropriate action in relation to the incident said to have taken place at Etah on December 21, 2020.

The court noted as per the averments, Rajendra Sharma, a practicing advocate at Etah was beaten and manhandled by the police and his relatives too were harassed and humiliated.

The High Court Bar Association as well as other advocates have also raised the issue through letters and e-mail.

The SC Bar Association on Monday raised concern over the "brutal assault of the lawyer by the UP police, who entered his house and assaulted him and family members and lodged them in jail".

The district police, for their part, claimed the matter related to illegal occupation of a property where the local court had ordered for maintaining status quo.