Delhi HC calls police reply on attack on advocates' properties

The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the city police to file response on the attack on properties of two senior advocates.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident, a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C. Hari Shankar asked the Delhi Police and the Delhi government to file reply on the attack on lawyers' properties.

The court said: "It is a matter of deep pain as the incidents could have caused loss of life and property of the lawyers. The incidents were startling and worrying as these happened to lawyers who defend the litigants."

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) requested the court to monitor the investigation in the matter.

On January 25, the association abstained from work to protest an attack on the properties of two senior advocates Vikas Pahwa and Kirti Uppal, who is also the DHCBA President.

On Monday, some people burnt Uppal's Hyundai Tucson car parked outside his house in south Delhi's Nizamuddin, while on January 9 attempts were made to set fire to Pahwa's office and cars in Greater Kailash.

The lawyers said a similar incident took place on January 4 when two cars -- Maruti Swift and Honda Amaze -- parked in the east Delhi house of advocate Ravi Sharma were torched by unidentified persons.

Separate FIRs have been lodged, which said the three lawyers were representing a woman colleague in the Delhi High Court in a property dispute with her relatives.

The bar association said the attacks were "pre-mediated and deliberate acts of conspiracy".

--IANS

akk/nir