Sambalpur: As many as 12 lawyers were arrested, section 144 CrPc promulgated near the court and 17 platoons of police forces were deployed as the lawyers’ stir on Monday demanding a High Court bench in this Western Odisha town turned violent.
The district judge was dragged from his court chamber and the courtroom was ransacked by the agitating lawyers.
Sambalpur SP B Gangadhar said the arrests were made on Monday night on the basis of the CCTV footage and nine of the arrested lawyers were sent to judicial custody after their bail petitions were rejected by the local court.
The SP said more arrests will be made in connection with the Monday’s violence after examining the CCTV footages and on the basis of the video clippings of the TV news
Meanwhile the district administration has clamped Section 144 of CrPC at Kacheri Chhak and warned that strong action will be taken if anybody violated the prohibitory orders.
The SP further said 17 platoons of police forces have been deployed to maintain law and order situation and if necessary more forces will be requisitioned .
A chaotic situation prevailed in Sambalpur court on Monday after public, advocates, members of civil societies and even eunuchs were indulged in a scuffle with the police forces.
Even District judge Manas Ranjan Barik who managed to enter into his office was forcefully dragged from the chamber as public and advocates entered in large numbers and ransacked the courtroom.
The Supreme Court has taken the incident with all seriousness and asked the DG (Police) of Odisha and IG of Northern Range for personal appearance through VC on Wednesday.
The Apex court had earlier warned that the licenses of the agitating lawyers could be cancelled if they continued to protest and paralysed the functioning of the courts.
But the lawyers did not budge in their stand and resorted to agitation on Monday and prevented the judges from entering the court premises despite heavy police deployment.
Taking strong exception to the vandalism indulged by the striking lawyers,the Bar Council of India on Monday suspended the license of 29 advocates for 18 months with immediate effect and has further suspended all the members of the Sambalpur District Bar Association till further orders.
A release from the Bar Council of India said the action was taken as the striking lawyers indulged in shouting slogans, burning of effigies of judges and other office bearers of the Bar Council of India , damaging computers and other property in the court premises and manhandling the police officials during the agitation on Monday.
