New Delhi: Not a single lawyer has been arrested for allegedly assaulting police personnel on duty in the past three years, data released by the Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy in the Lok Sabha Tuesday showed.
The statistics also showed that prompt action, including arrests, were made by authorities in cases where people, other than lawyers, have attacked police officers.
In 2017, only three cases were registered against lawyers for allegedly attacking policemen on duty. The following year two more cases were registered against advocates and until October 2019, three cases were filed against lawyers. But no arrests were made in any of these instances.
A debate on whether lawyers have immunity from arrest had started soon after clashes broke out between police personnel and advocates inside the Tis Hazari Court complex in Delhi on 2 November, with the latter allegedly torching several vehicles and even manhandling a woman deputy commissioner of police.
Following the incident, other instances of lawyers assaulting police personnel had also come to the fore, including that of an officer who was attacked outside the Saket Court complex in South Delhi. A video of the incident had gone viral. Another incident was also reported from the Karkardooma Court complex.
In all, six FIRs were registered in these clashes. While one was filed on the basis of a complaint by a judge, the second was registered on the complaint of Delhi Police personnel against lawyers.
The third case was filed under sections of attempt to murder on the complaint of a lawyer and the fourth FIR was filed based on a complaint by a woman lawyer who accused policemen of molesting her. The other two FIRs were filed against lawyers for allegedly assaulting police personnel in clashes that occurred at the Saket Court and Karkardooma Court complexes.
With no punitive action taken against any lawyer, police personnel had taken to the streets and gathered outside the Delhi Police headquarters to protest against the apathy of senior officers, demanding “justice and the respect they deserve”.
But the lawyers accused in the above cases still remain at large.
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Swift action against others
The data also showed that in instances where police personnel were attacked by those other than lawyers, strict action has been taken. In 2017, 232 cases were registered against people for attacking policemen on duty and 437 arrested.
In 2018 again, 219 cases were registered in which 458 people were arrested. In 2019 ( up to 31 October 2019), 156 cases were registered in this regard and 458 people have been arrested.
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