Harrassed litigants say attack stray incident,protest uncalled for

Keeping in view the significance of their cases,some litigants appeared themselves before courts for assistance,while a few cases were disposed of by courts on their own. Lawyers justified their decision,to suspend work,demanding arrest of all accused involved in the murder of Amarpreet Singh alias Lucky. The 32-year-old was shot dead over a parking row on Wednesday night outside his residence in Mohali.

“This is sheer harassment. We were not informed about this strike. My case’s hearing on Thursday was important. Owing to suspension of work by lawyers,my case has been deferred for five months. It is highly unfortunate that lawyers have no concern for common people,” rued Ashok,a Phagwara resident,Punjab. Ashok is contesting a case seeking compensation for his son,who lost a leg in a road accident.

“I was summoned by the high court last week,and when I reached on Thursday,I was informed that work was suspended. The attack on the 32-year-old was not because he was a lawyer,but for some other reason. Had it been a deliberate attack on an advocate,the lawyers were justified in proceeding on a strike,but Wednesday’s incident does not call for suspension of work,” said Anil Kumar,a Jhajjar resident,Haryana.

Chandigarh District Court Bar Association president Advocate N K Nanda accused the police of hushing up the case.