Bar Council of Punjab & Haryana withdraws strike call after arrest of 3 police officers for torture of lawyer

The Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday withdrew its call for abstaining from work against the alleged torture of a lawyer by Punjab Police.

The decision followed a meeting of the Bar Council members and other lawyers with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and State Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav who assured action against the erring police officers.

By evening, three police officers including a Superintendent of Police were arrested. 

The Bar Council, therefore, asked advocates in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to resume work with immediate effect.

The lawyers in the region including at Punjab and Haryana High Court have been on strike since Tuesday against the custodial torture endured by a lawyer at the hands of the Punjab Police’s Crime Investigation Agency (CIA). The lawyer, who was accused in a case, alleged he was beaten up by the CIA Staff officials and also subjected to sexual abuse.

The Director Bureau of Investigation in Punjab today transferred the investigation in the case against the lawyer and the FIR registered on his complaint against six police officers, to a team headed by Ludhiana Commissioner of Police Mandeep Singh Sidhu.

“The aforesaid SIT shall function under the supervision of Sh, Jaskaran Singh, IPS, ADGP, Intelligence, Punjab,” the Director said in the order while directing an expeditious probe in the matter.

The Bar Council Chairman Ashok Singla in a statement congratulated the lawyers for their unity and claimed that a “decision to release” the lawyer has also been taken.

“In view of these developments, the emergent meeting of the Bar Council took place and decision is taken to withdraw the call of abstaining from work and all the advocates in the States of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are requested to resume the work with immediate effect,” Singla said.

Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association said its General House meeting will be held on September 29 morning and till then the work will continue to remain suspended.

After the lawyer's complaint last week, Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) had directed the Station House Office of Police Station in Sri Muktsar Sahib to initiate an investigation against the police officials after registering a case against them.

In compliance with the CJM's order, the police had registered a first information report (FIR) under Sections 377 (unnatural offences), 323 (hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the India Penal Code against six police officials. 

Senior Superintendent of Police Sri Muktsar Sahib also suspended two police officials.

[Read Order]