Crackdown On Striking Lawyers: 17 Arrested For Vandalism On Court Premises In Odisha’s Sambalpur

Sambalpur: In a crackdown on agitating lawyers, police arrested at least 17 advocates for alleged vandalism of the chamber of a district judge during Monday’s ‘ Satyagarh’ over the demand for the establishment of a High Court bench in Odisha’s Sambalpur district.

The police action came after after the Supreme Court on Monday rapped DGP Odisha and Sambalpur IG of Police for failing to handle lawyers’ strikes in the state.

The arrests were made in phases since Monday night on the basis of CCTV footage in connection with Monday’s incident and the total number of lawyers taken into custody has gone up to 17, Sambapur SP B Gangadhar reportedly said.

In another development, the Bar Council of India (BCI) has suspended practice licence of 29 advocates for 18 months, besides suspending all members of the district bar association till further orders.

Unfazed by the police crackdown, the agitating lawyers said the protest will continue and claimed that the vandalism on Monday was the outcome of police excesses.

“Our protest is on and will continue. Yesterday’s vandalism was the outcome of police excesses,” said  Chairman of Action Committee of Sambalpur District Bar Association, Pradeep Bohidar.

On suspension of licences by BCI, he said the Odisha Bar Council has issued our licences and not the Bar Council of India.

“We will intensify our stir with the support of people. We will not accept the BCI order till we get a directive in this regard from the State Bar Council. We are ready for any legal battle,” he added.

Section 144 of CrPC has been clamped at Kacheri Chhak, the protest site, to maintain law and order and action will be taken if anyone enters a 200 metres radius of the prohibited area, he said.

Security was also tightened in the area and 21 platoons of police force were deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

The lawyers in the western Odisha city have been agitating to demand setting up of a permanent bench of the Orissa High Court in Sambalpur.

Earlier in November, the SC had expressed concern over the lawyers’ strike demanding establishment of a permanent High Court Bench in western Odisha. The court also served notices on the Bar Council of India and the Bar Council of Odisha in this regard.

The court had taken a serious view of the agitation after it came to know that court works have been affected due to lawyers’ stir in the state. The bench also slapped notice on different district bar associations asking them to make their stand on the issue.

The apex court’s order came following a petition filed by the Orissa High Court over loss of working hours due to non-participation of members of different bar associations of the state in court proceedings.