Allahabad High Court orders security after lawyers allege assault inside Lucknow court

‘Opposition to civil suit’

The application was moved by three advocates who alleged that they were prevented from filing a vakalatnama (formal authorisation to represent a client) before the Lucknow district court in a civil suit against an advocate over a property dispute.

They claimed no local lawyer was willing to represent the plaintiffs because of the said advocate’s influence, prompting them, as Delhi-based lawyers, to accept the brief. They alleged that when they attempted to enter appearance in the case, they were threatened, assaulted and humiliated by certain advocates, while their client was severely beaten.

Justices Rajan Roy and Manjive Shukla observed that if the allegations were found to be correct, it was a serious matter.

One of the advocates was allegedly punched in his stomach and chest while protecting the client. The applicants claimed that when they tried to mention the matter before the district judge, the accused advocate started howling at them and exhorted his women associates to assault them. They said their client was beaten up till he bled profusely.

During the hearing, the applicants played a video before the bench, which, according to the court, appeared to show several advocates, including those named in the application, assaulting a person identified as their client.

HC seeks reports

The bench observed that, if the allegations were found to be correct, they disclosed a serious matter. It noted that this was not the first such incident in the Lucknow district court and recalled that repeated complaints of advocates or persons posing as advocates indulging in land grabbing, interference with judicial proceedings and other illegal activities had earlier compelled the court to constitute a dedicated police cell to investigate such matters.

Appearing through video conferencing, the Lucknow Police Commissioner informed the court that the injured client had been sent for medical examination. The Lucknow district judge informed the court that he went through the CCTV footage and identified some of the advocates who were seen indulging in the act.

The high court directed the district judge to submit a report along with the CCTV footage after identifying the persons. It also directed the commissioner to submit a separate report, collect information regarding the antecedents of the advocates and others involved in the alleged offence.