HC declines to entertain plea to replace Delhi Police with another security force in courts

The Delhi High Court declined on Monday to entertain a plea by two lawyers seeking to replace the police with some other security force in the courts here in view of the clash between the two sides earlier this month.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar refused to hear the matter saying the situation between lawyers and the police needs to be settled and such petitions would not help in that.

It also said the central government, which was represented by its standing counsel Anil Soni, may consider providing additional training to police if it was required.

The petitioners, Reepak Kansal and Yadunandan Bansal, had claimed in their petition that since the November 2 clash between lawyers and police, advocates feared for their life as the cops had fired upon them and also destroyed their property at the Tis Hazari court complex.

Kansal and Bansal, both lawyers, had sought replacement of Delhi Police by some other trained and experienced security forces at all the courts in the city.

Apart from that they had also sought directions for lodging FIR against all the members of the police battalion and its senior officers, who were involved in the November 2 incident, for firing at lawyers and also destruction of property.

The petitioners had also sought appointment of an independent agency to investigate the matter.

Since the November 2 incident, the high court has issued orders preventing coercive action against lawyers and police personnel in connection with FIRs lodged regarding the Tis Hazari clash in which over 20 cops and eight lawyers were injured with three advocates receiving gunshot wounds.

Apart from that, several police vehicles and private two-wheelers were also damaged in the incident.