Assault of NE people: HC seeks lawyers' reply to contempt plea

Two advocates, accused of abusing and manhandling some persons from the northeast including a woman advocate, were today asked by the Delhi High Court to file their responses by November 12 to the contempt notices issued against them in the case.
The bench comprising Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw also allowed the plea of the victims that they be allowed to implead the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD), a statutory body which enrolls and regulates lawyers, as a party to the contempt proceedings.
Senior advocate Indira Jaising, representing the victims, said that the BCD be allowed to made a party as it would be responsible for taking actions if the advocates later are found guilty.

During the hearing, Mohit Mathur, appearing for the alleged contemnor lawyers, said that they have not been served with the copies of the contempt plea.
"Meanwhile, you (Jaising) give copies of the petition to the lawyer," the bench said.
Earlier, Delhi Police had told the court that there was sufficient evidence against two alleged contemnor lawyers, Azad Chandra Prakash Gautam and Varun Jain, in the case.

Police, in a status report, had said "during the course of investigation, sufficient evidence against accused Varun Jain ...And accused Azad Chandra Prakash Gautam... Came on the file" and a charge sheet against them has been filed before a court of metropolitan magistrate in Tis Hazari district court.

The lawyers have been booked under the IPC for offences including rioting, crime committed by a member of unlawful assembly, voluntarily causing hurt, wrongfully restraining a person, assaulting a woman and criminal intimidation, police had said.
The high court had earlier issued show cause notices to the lawyers as to why contempt proceedings be not initiated against them for allegedly manhandling the victims inside the Tis Hazari district courts premises on May 23.