Sambalpur Courtroom Vandalism: Bail Plea Of 14 Lawyers Rejected

Sambalpur: The Sambalpur sub-divisional judicial magistrate (SDJM) court on Friday rejected the bail pleas of 14 lawyers arrested in connection with the vandalism on the district court premises.

According to sources, three lawyers from Kuchinda filed the bail petitions in the SDJM court on Wednesday.

“We had applied for the bail of 14 arrested lawyers. However, the pleas were rejected as they have been booked under non-bailable offences. We will approach the district judge court on Saturday,” one of the lawyers Ranjan Sharma told the media.

At least 32 people including 23 lawyers, eight transgenders, and a civilian have been arrested under Sections 147, 341, 323, 353, 332, 506, 186, 188, and 149 of the IPC for their alleged involvement in the vandalism as of now. President of the District Bar Association Sureshwar Mishra is among those arrested and raids are on to apprehend others involved in the incident.

Besides, the convener of Central Action Committee (CAC) of all bar associations of western Odisha Ashok Das said that it was not the final verdict and they would file a review petition in the apex court.

It is pertinent to mention here that a mob demanding the establishment of a high court bench barged into the premises of Sambalpur district court and vandalised the court, including the chamber of the district judge Manas Barik.

Following the incident, the Supreme Court asked Odisha police to take stringent action and the Bar Council of India (BCI) also suspended the licences of all members of the Sambalpur District Bar Association for a period of 18 months.

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