The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Lawyers vs police

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Tuesday, Feb 24, 2009
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Lawyers vs police

This refers to the report that the Bar Council of India has condemned the police attack on lawyers, litigants and staff of the Madras High Court on February 19. It was the lawyers who attacked a petitioner inside the court hall two days earlier. The police only attempted to arrest those responsible for the attack. It is unfair to blame them for the ugly episode.

H.N. Ramakrishna,

Bangalore

* * *

The BCI’s condemnation of the police action is unfortunate. One would have expected it to be more objective and impartial. While the BCI is extremely critical of the police for what happened on Thursday, it has not said a word on the attack on Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy by lawyers right in front of High Court judges on February 17. Is it not the responsibility of the Bar Council to rein in its members when they go overboard?

K. Venkata Rao,

Secunderabad

* * *

A lay person wonders whether the attack on Dr. Swamy on the court premises was not an affront to the judiciary. It was this assault that led to other developments.

S. Sujatha,

Chennai

* * *

When there was violence on the law college campus in Chennai recently, the police stood outside saying they could not enter without permission from the college authorities. Everyone cried hoarse at the police inaction. And when they took action on Thursday after the lawyers turned unruly, a police station in the High Court complex was set ablaze, and stones were thrown indiscriminately at them, many demanded action against them.

A. Palaniandi,

Melur

* * *

The chaos in the High Court could have been avoided had the police and lawyers acted with restraint and caution.

The attitude of the lawyers and the anxiety of the police led to all the trouble. The Sri Lankan Tamils issue is a sensitive one and everybody must exercise caution while commenting on it.

Sreedhara Ramanathan,

Hyderabad

* * *

I was present in the Madras High Court on Thursday, filing records in the family court. I was witness to the violence let loose by the police who acted as though they had planned the action in advance. They smashed tubelights, glass doors and whatever they could damage with their lathis. Can we call ourselves a democratic country when the people in charge of upholding democracy think might is right?

A. Samuel,

Chennai

* * *

I was witness to the violence in the court. The police were armed and attacking. Some policemen chased lawyers on to the streets and beat anyone who was in white shirt. While one cannot deny that there is a divide in the Bar on political lines and, recently, on caste lines, the fact remains that the police threw stones in the court corridor, broke the cars/two-wheelers parked in the complex, beat up even women lawyers, and hit anyone who they came across.

C.K. Chandrasekkar,

Chennai

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Lawyers vs police