Chaos reigns in Ghaziabad court as lawyers clash with cops, torch police chowki

Clashes broke out between police and lawyers in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad District Court premises on Tuesday after an argument between a judge and a lawyer turned ugly and the judge allegedly abused lawyers..Videos of the clash between the police and lawyers surfaced on social media, showing the former using force and resorting to lathi charge to remove lawyers from the court premises. The footage also captured chairs being thrown around in the courtroom during the melee..Bar & Bench spoke to a local lawyer who said that the angry lawyers retaliated by setting fire to the police chowki (outpost) located within the court premises..Advocate Nahar Singh Yadav, former President of the Ghaziabad Bar Association, sent a complaint to the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to bring his attention to the issue. According to the letter, the clashes were sparked by a judge losing his temper and verbally abusing lawyers in court.This happened during the hearing of an anticipatory bail plea when some advocates requested the district judge to either hear or transfer the bail application..The situation escalated rapidly, leading to police intervention and lathi charge that left many lawyers, including one Abhishek Yadav, injured.The incident was captured on CCTV footage, the letter stated."The district judge further threatened the lawyers, damaging the judiciary's reputation," the former Bar President said.Given the seriousness of the situation, the former Bar President has requested that the CCTV footage be secured and forwarded to the administrative judge and the High Court Registrar for an impartial investigation.Until then, the district judge should be suspended from judicial duties or transferred to ensure fairness in the investigation, it was urged..The Ghaziabad Police has registered two first information reports (FIRs) under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984 against around 50 unidentified lawyers, including former Bar President Yadav.The first FIR was filed based on a complaint by Sanjeev Gupta, the central nazir of the district judge’s court. The report names former Bar President Yadav, along with Abhishek Yadav, Dinesh Yadav and 40-50 unidentified individuals. The allegations include breaking court window panes, damaging the door frame metal detector (DFMD) at the entrance, throwing chairs and tables, and vandalising the CCTV server room inside the police outpost.The second FIR, filed by Station Officer Sanjay Singh, accuses 50 unidentified lawyers of throwing stones and setting fire to the police outpost.