Bhubaneswar: Odisha DGP Sunil Kumar Bansal and Northern Range IGP Deepak Kumar appeared before the Supreme Court on Wednesday via video conference in connection with the lawyers’ agitation over the demand for a permanent High Court bench in Sambalpur.
The Apex Court further rapped the Odisha Police over the handling of the lawyers’ strike saying they should have effected preventive arrest. It observed that it was an abject failure of the police in handling the situation strike.
The Supreme Court had on Monday ordered the Odisha government and the state Police to take stringent action against the protesting lawyers. The SC had also directed both DGP and IGP to appear via video conference to explain steps taken against the lawyers.
The DGP and IGP have assured us that what has happened will not happen again and they take personal responsibility that complete peace is maintained, the Apex Court said.
It is the job of the police to control law and order they do not need any directions from us, it said, adding that complete peace and functionality of the court have to be maintained. Lawyers who are willing to attend should be able to do so.
“We have put the burden on police authorities to treat criminals like criminals. There shall be no mollycoddling of lawyers. FIRs must be registered. We have indicated that their ability to control the situation would be closely watched by us,” the SC observed.
The Supreme Court, which rejected the demand for establishment of High Court Bench in Sambalpur on Wednesday, had earlier taken a serious view of the agitation after it came to know that court works have been affected due to lawyers’ stir in Odisha. It also watched videos from the protest site showing district court premises were damaged by protesting lawyers.
The SC 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.
After the Apex Court’s order, the Odisha Police arrested 17 lawyers of Sambalpur and clamped section 144 CrPc near the court. Sambalpur SP Battula Gangadhar said further arrests will be made based on CCTV footage.
