NEW DELHI: Hours after the Delhi High Court ordered a judicial inquiry into Saturday’s clash between lawyers and police personnel at the Tis Hazari Court complex here, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal met the injured lawyers on Sunday and said good relations must prevail between advocates and police.
Kejriwal, who said the Delhi government would bear all the expenses of the treatment of the two injured lawyers, termed Saturday’s incident as “unfortunate” and condemned the firing on advocates.
“Lawyers help people get justice and it is the duty of the police to protect. We want good relations between police and lawyers. If the relations between them are good, then only people will get justice,” he said outside St Stephen’s Hospital, where the two injured lawyers were being treated.
“What happened on Saturday was unfortunate and I strongly condemn the firing on lawyers. It was not right to open fire without any reason…. The Delhi government would bear all the expenses of the lawyers’ treatment,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo said.
Lawyers and police personnel clashed at the Tis Hazari Court complex on Saturday afternoon, resulting in injuries to at least 20 police personnel and several lawyers while 17 vehicles were vandalised, according to officials and eyewitnesses.
Kejriwal said the high court order would give relief to those who were wronged. “I hope Sunday’s high court order and the committee that the court has formed will give justice to those people. It is important that they get justice so that those who have been wronged are given relief,” he said, adding that such incidents should never occur in the future.
The high court ordered a judicial inquiry into the clash by one of its retired judges on Sunday and transfer of two senior police officials during the pendency of the investigation. It took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of media reports of the incident and said Justice (retd) S P Garg would hold a judicial inquiry into it.
The court directed the Delhi police commissioner to transfer Special Commissioner Sanjay Singh and Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Harinder Singh during the pendency of the inquiry and made it clear that no coercive action would be taken against any lawyer. PTI