Delhi High Court to hear lawyers' plea against suspended ACP on November 6

The Delhi High Court will hear lawyers' plea against suspended ACP Manasvi Vashishta and other officers. The case intensifies scrutiny of police conduct after the Shahdara station clash.

In Short

• Advocate Lalit Bansal allegedly suffered a serious head injury during scuffle
• District court lawyers launched an indefinite strike before later withdrawing it
• Vashishta and Inspector Arun Kumar were transferred following lawyers' demands

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday agreed to hear on November 6 a plea by lawyers seeking action against suspended Delhi Police Assistant Commissioner of Police Manasvi Vashishta and other officials for allegedly threatening advocates, the Press Trust of India reported.

The plea follows a controversy over an October 23 scuffle at Shahdara police station, in which advocate Lalit Bansal allegedly suffered a serious head injury, and subsequent protests by lawyers and police personnel.

The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma. "List it on Friday," the bench said.

A group of lawyers initially urged the court to take up the issue on its own. The bench declined and asked them to file a formal plea with all available material.

On Tuesday, the lawyers told the court that remarks such as "use of AK-47" and "kale coat ke gunde", or goons in black coats, had been made against advocates, according to PTI.

The October 23 incident was followed by a confrontation between lawyers and police personnel at Shahdara police station. District court lawyers then began an indefinite strike, which was later called off.

On October 28, Delhi Police transferred Vashishta, who was then the sub-divisional police officer in Gandhi Nagar, to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children. Inspector Arun Kumar, who was the station house officer of Shahdara police station at the time, was transferred to the security unit.

The transfers came amid demands from lawyers for action against police officers allegedly responsible for the assault on Bansal and the subsequent confrontation at the police station.

The controversy resurfaced on Monday when Vashishta and a group of Delhi Police personnel protested outside the police headquarters against the transfers. Certain remarks about lawyers were also made during the demonstration. Vashishta was subsequently suspended by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The High Court will now hear the lawyers' plea on November 6 after declining their request to initiate proceedings on its own and directing them to place all available material before it.

- Ends