Attack on lawyers: HC pulls up FSL dir for failure to give report

The Delhi High Court today pulled up the director of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) here over its failure to place before it a scientific report in connection with the recent arson attacks on the properties of some lawyers in the national capital.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said that the evidence was collected by three different police stations for three different incidents in the city, but the forensic reports were still awaited.
"Why can't we say that it is deliberately delayed and in connivance with the accused," the bench said and asked Deepa Verma, Director CFSL, "if it had been a case of terrorists, what would have they done".

"This is happening in the capital of India. It is an emergency situation. A leader of the Delhi High Court Bar Association, its executive member and a lawyer have been attacked," it said, adding that the forensic laboratory has not yet begun their work.
The court had sought reports from the FSL on the attacks that took place on January 4, 9 and 22 on the lawyers representing a woman advocate, who was allegedly assaulted by policemen and dragged out of her house, after a stalking case was lodged against her by a woman purportedly over a property dispute.
It noted that the FSL had received the samples on January 30.

"Both the delay and the manner in which the samples have been sent to the FSL have to be scrutinised by the Delhi Police Commissioner. The Commissioner will take action for the delay and file a status report," the bench observed and asked the FSL to file their report on or before the next hearing on February 21.

During the day, another bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Deepa Sharma was informed by the police that they have lodged an FIR against a police official and others, including a father and son, in the assault incident of the 60-year-old woman lawyer allegedly by police.

Those lawyers, whose properties were attacked, have been representing the woman advocate in the assault case.
On January 9 and 22, arson attacks were carried out on the properties and cars of senior advocates Vikas Pahwa and Kirti Uppal, also the president of the DHCBA, by using inflammable material.
Uppal's Hyundai Tucson car that was parked outside his house in south Delhi's Nizamuddin West, was set on fire by unidentified people.
On January 4, two cars -- a Maruti Swift and a Honda Amaze -- parked in the east Delhi house of advocate Ravi Sharma were torched by unidentified persons.