Lawyers on daylong hunger strike in Tamil Nadu

NI Wire

Chennai

Mon, 23 Feb 2009: 

Lawyers in Tamil Nadu have gone on a daylong hunger strike on Monday to express protest against police high-handedness and to press their demand taking action against them.

The Madras High Court Advocates Association (MHAA), including various other lawyers’ associations, began hunger strike since Mondamorning.

Even the Bar Council in Delhi has decided to observe February 27 as Black Day throughout the country. The Council took decision on Sunday to show solidarity with its lawyer brothers.

On the contrary, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, M Karunanidhi, who is recuperating in a hospital after spine surgery, has threatened to go on hunger strike if lawyers and police do not resolve their deadlock forthwith.

“Whether I need to go on fast is based on the decision you take,” said Karunanidhi in a released statement in Chennai on Sunday night, urging the lawyers and the police to eliminate their enmity.

Meanwhile, The Madras High Court has set up a Committee of five judges and some advocates to analyse the situation arising out of the police-lawyers clashes on Feb 19. But the Chief Justice’s call to get back to work has gone so far unheeded as lawyers have decided to abstain from work till action against police officials is taken.

The Court also directed the Tamil Nadu government to file a report stating with whose permission the police entered the court premises to arrest some accused and on whose instruction the police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) resorted to lathicharge.

A three-member Bench including Acting Chief Justice S J Mukhopadhaya, Justice V Dhanapalan and Justice K Chandru in a suo-motu action passed the order at a special sitting last evening. The Madras High Court has already ordered for a CBI inquiry.

The Bench asked the Commissioner of Police, Chennai and the Joint Commissioner of Police North Chennai, who were said to be present during the clash, to file a report stating specific names and designations of the officials as who ordered the policemen to enter the court’s premises to arrest some of the accused and who led them to lathicharge on lawyers.

On the basis of report, the court would decide whether criminal contempt could be initiated against the accused, the Bench added.

The violence on Thursday (Feb 19) broke out after police arrested some of the lawyers on the charge of assaulting Janata Party president Subramaniam Swamy in the court (Tuesday). Exchange of harsh words between the two sides soon resulted into fierce clash after lawyers started pelting stones on police and the latter then retaliated with batons and tear gas. A judge, many lawyers and police personnel were injured in the violent clash.

Swamy was accused by the lawyers for passing derogatory remarks against lawyers and being detractor of the LTTE.