Ghaziabad: Two more FIRs against lawyers, 44 names

Ghaziabad: Police have registered two more first information reports (FIRs) against lawyers in connection with the October 29 violence at a Ghaziabad court and have hired a total of 44 named lawyers while 70-80 others remain unidentified. Lawyers, however, termed the fresh FIR as a ploy to defame and hamper their ongoing agitation.

Lawyers went on strike from October 29 after a disagreement during a bail hearing that allegedly escalated into violence, arson and sparked police charges in the courtroom.

Since then, lawyers of the Ghaziabad Bar Association have been staging a workers’ strike and demanding transfer of the judicial officer, besides taking action against the police officials involved in the lathicharge incident.

“The police registered two FIRs at Kavi Nagar police station on Friday. A total of six FIRs have been lodged against lawyers since October 29 and investigation is ongoing. No arrests have been made so far,” said Abhishek Srivastava, deputy commissioner of police, Kavi Nagar district.

After the October 29 protest, the police registered two FIRs against the lawyers and two more FIRs against the lawyers when they staged a ‘road blockade protest’ on November 11 and 12 and allegedly blocked Hapur Road for two hours a day.

The first FIR was registered against a lawyer on Friday following a complaint lodged by court employees against a judicial officer. It alleges that the lawyer entered the officer’s office without permission to certify some documents. It was booked under sections 267 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (intentionally insulting or obstructing a public servant) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation).

The second FIR names 43 lawyers and 70-80 other unidentified lawyers. The FIR was registered under BNS sections 267 (Intentional insult or obstruction of a public servant sitting in a judicial proceeding), 221 (Voluntary obstruction of a public servant in the discharge of his public functions), 352 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 115(2) (Causing voluntary harm) and 127(3) (wrongful deprivation of liberty).

The registration of the FIR followed a complaint filed by the central Nazir (judicial officer) of the court alleging that lawyers along with others were protesting inside the court complex, misbehaving with litigants and government advisers and also trying to disrupt the court proceedings.

“The FIRs were filed with the intention to defame and jeopardize the ongoing lawyers’ agitation and were filed at the behest of the court officials. Earlier, four FIRs were filed against the lawyers which also had the same motive and intention. Our protest will continue until the judicial officer is transferred and action is taken against police officials who attacked lawyers in the courtroom,” said Deepak Sharma, president of the Bar Association.