Manhandling of lawyer; SC asks police to ensure her safety

The Supreme Court today asked the Delhi Police Commissioner to provide security to a woman lawyer, who was allegedly manhandled by some cops and others inside a police station here.
A vacation bench comprising justices B S Chauhan and A K Sikri also asked the Joint Commissioner of Police to file an affidavit after considering all the aspects of the matter.
Dealing with the allegation that eye witnesses of the alleged assault were being pressurised, the bench said that cops at Lajpat Nagar Police Station will not summon any witnesses of the case till its next order.
Senior advocate Vijay Hansaria, who has been appointed amicus curiae in the matter, had yesterday sought urgent hearing of a fresh plea seeking a CBI probe into the case on the ground that witnesses were being "harassed" by cops.

Earlier, a four-judge bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha had taken suo motu cognisance of the letter of the woman lawyer alleging that some policemen and others manhandled her inside Lajpat Nagar Police Station on April 4 when she had gone to serve a copy of a judicial order.
The bench had asked the Police Commissioner to submit the action taken report on the complaint of lawyer Ambika Das.

However, the fresh plea said eyewitnesses, which include poor vegetable vendors and rickshaw pullers, are being harassed to create evidence against the lawyer who had claimed that she had been manhandled inside the police station.

Seeking transfer of probe from Delhi police to CBI, the plea said, "...Das has reasonable apprehension her witnesses are being forced by DCP/ACP/SHO of Lajpat Nagar police station to make statement against her.
"She also apprehends that she is being fixed in some false cases as she got missed calls from unknown Pakistan numbers on her mobile."
Earlier, the apex court had taken serious note of Delhi Police inaction in protecting the woman advocate, who was allegedly assaulted by some policemen and henchmen of an influential person against whom she had gone to serve the court's stay order in a property dispute case.