A group of lawyers on Tuesday urged the Delhi High Court to take suo motu cognisance of the conduct of Delhi Police ACP Manasvi Vashishta, who has been suspended for allegedly threatening lawyers.
The matter was mentioned before a bench of acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma, who refused to initiate a suo motu petition and asked the lawyers to file a proper plea with all the available material, and the court will look into the issue.
“You file a formal petition. We are a court of record, and we must have something before us. What is suo motu? We are telling you whatever material is there with you, give it in the form of a petition and submit it with the registry so that it can be brought before the court for looking into it. Do it, and we will look into it,” the bench told the lawyers.
The advocates told the court that remarks like “use of AK-47” and “kale coat ke gunde” (goons in black coats) were used against lawyers.
“You are our chief. If you take suo motu cognisance of the issue, we will be assured,” one of the lawyers submitted.
The controversy stems from an October 23 incident at the Shahdara police station, where advocate Lalit Bansal allegedly sustained a serious head injury during a scuffle.
It was followed by a confrontation between lawyers and police personnel at the police station, prompting district court lawyers to launch an indefinite strike, which was later called off.
Delhi Police on October 28 transferred Vashistha, who was posted as the sub-divisional police officer in Gandhi Nagar, to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC).
Inspector Arun Kumar, the SHO of Shahdara police station at the time, was transferred to the security unit.
The transfers came amid demands by lawyers for action against police officers allegedly responsible for the assault on Bansal and the subsequent confrontation at the police station. Thereafter, the lawyers called off their strike.
Further controversy erupted on Monday when Vashishta and a group of Delhi Police personnel protested outside the police headquarters against the transfers.
Certain remarks were also made about the lawyers during the demonstration.
Vashishta has now been suspended by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
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