Demanding the registration of a case against a Punjab and Haryana high court lawyer after a scuffle between him and a senior advocate at the district courts on October 13, members of the District Bar Association (DBA) blocked roads opposite the court in Sector 43 for two hours. With the area housing the bus stand, traffic movement was hit and commuters harassed
The police did act on their demand, but booked both the HC lawyer Kanwalvir Singh Kang of Sector 2, Chandigarh, and district court advocate NK Kapil for wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation, among other charges.
The parties had filed cross-FIRs against each other.
Initially, the complainant Kapil had alleged Singh had assaulted him inside the district court complex in Sector 43 on Thursday. He had even claimed that the assault on him, reportedly due to his taking up the case of Kang’s wife in a matrimonial suit, had been captured by the CCTV camera installed outside a bank inside court premises.
During the lawyers’ protest, anti-police slogans were raised. Protesters alleged the police was shielding the HC lawyer.
TRAFFIC HIT IN SECTORS 42, 43 AND 44
With lawyers halting the traffic on the main city roads in Sectors 42, 43 and 44, starting around 12.30am, commuters were inconvenienced as they were forced to alight from buses and other public transport and walk to their destinations. School buses were also seen stuck in long traffic jams with some students seen walking with the heavy school bags.
{{/usCountry}}With lawyers halting the traffic on the main city roads in Sectors 42, 43 and 44, starting around 12.30am, commuters were inconvenienced as they were forced to alight from buses and other public transport and walk to their destinations. School buses were also seen stuck in long traffic jams with some students seen walking with the heavy school bags.
{{/usCountry}}“Nothing can be more ridiculous. These lawyers are acting as goons on roads and the police are acting as a mute spectator,” said Rita Sharma, of Sector-42, who wanted to reach GMCH-32 to visit her mother-in-law.
The protesting lawyers also had a heated argument with Sector-36 SHO Naseeb Singh for making ‘inappropriate’ comments about the scuffle.
“In an interview, Naseeb has said that slapping and punching someone is not a big deal. He is a cop and can’t be so immature,” said a protesting lawyer.
Finally, the protest was withdrawn and normal traffic movement restored after DBA president Sunil Toni announced the registration of a case against Kang at Sector-36 police station.
He was booked under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Later in the evening, after the cross-case, Kapil was also booked under Sections 341 and 506 of the IPC.