Advocates-civic staff clash: HC seeks govt views on panel

The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the West Bengal government to present its views before it on a report submitted by a one-man judicial commission on alleged excesses by police during a clash between advocates and civic employees in Howrah.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice A Banerjee directed the state to come up with its views by February 7, when the matter will be heard again.

The bench also directed that a report by the Justice (retd) K J Sengupta commission on the incident be circulated among the parties in the matter. The report was submitted before the court in December last year.

Lawyers had gone on a month-long shutdown across courts in the state on a call by the Bar Council of West Bengal to protest alleged excesses by police during the clash that occurred on April 24, 2019.

A division bench of the high court appointed the Justice Sengupta Commission after hearing a suo motu case initiated by Chief Justice T B N Radhakrishnan about the clash.

Several persons, including lawyers, were injured in the incident when police allegedly entered the Howrah court premises without requisite permission, and baton charged to control a mob.

Lawyers of the Howrah district court and the staff of Howrah Municipal Corporation, the premises of which are located opposite to each other, had allegedly clashed over issues relating to parking of vehicles.

Following the incident, the Bar Council asked all bar associations, representing lawyers at different courts in the state, to observe cease work.