PATNA, November 19: The Patna High Court today issued a criminal contempt notice against the Bhagalpur Superintendent of Police and 11 other police officials for ordering an assault on court staff and lawyers, who were putting up resistance to a police attempt at assaulting Additional District and Sessions Judge Deo Narain Barai, yesterday inside the court campus.Soon after receiving a fax message from another additional sessions judge, BK Pandey, Chief Justice of Patna High Court BM Lal in a suo motto action today posted the matter for hearing before the division bench of Justice N Pandey and Justice NN Singh.The atmosphere in the High Court today was totally charged. Lawyers, who went on a flash strike, flooded the court room. All the four lawyers' associations reacted sharply against the police conduct and demanded punitive action against the erring officials. The State Bar Council has given a call for State-level boycott of court proceedings on Friday.It also came out with an action programme calling upon the rank and file to get ready for intensifying the movement.
