Five advocates on token fast

Meanwhile, Chudasama is expected to depose before a magistrate on Friday, exactly a week after he had a scuffle with the advocates, who were picketing outside the court premises, demanding the arrest of BJP councillor Nita Satbhaya8217;s killers.

Chudasama is slated to depose in a murder case no 116/96 in Mahidharpura area of the city in 1996, when he was a police inspector there. He had come to the city in the same case last Friday when he drove his private vehicle onto the advocates over an argument. The Umra police said he hadn8217;t lodged a cross complaint as yet.

Talking to Express Newsline, Trivedi, who lodged a police complaint against Chudasama, said he was going to file a private complaint in the court against Police Commissioner Kuldip Sharma, the ACP concerned and Umra PI Rajput along with H Y Chudasama under sections 201, 204 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, if Chudasama was not arrested.8221; He pointed out that courts had the power to issue warrants against the police officers.

Sections 201, 204 and 34 pertain to 8220;causing disappearance of evidence8221; and 8220;acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention8221;. According to Trivedi, his trousers, that bore dust marks where the vehicle drove onto his feet, had been sent to the FSL, but not the vehicle. This, he alleged, was done deliberately to destroy evidence. Trivedi also alleged that though he was entitled to get a copy of the panchnama in the case, he was denied it despite repeated applications to the Umra police for the same.

Though the protests affected the normal functioning of the court, advocates attended to urgent matters like stay orders, bail applications, remand procedures and other important cases.

Association president Ashit Mehta said, 8220;We have already apologised to the public for the inconvenience caused because of the boycott of work, but we have no other alternative8221;.