The Delhi High Court will hear on Friday, November 6, a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking action against suspended Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Manasvi Vashishta and other Delhi Police personnel over allegations of threatening and intimidating members of the legal fraternity. The petition was mentioned for urgent listing on Wednesday before a Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma, which agreed to take up the matter on Friday.

Source: India Legal Live

Filed by advocate Karan Bir Singh, the PIL names the Union Government, the Delhi Police Commissioner, the Special Commissioner of Police (Vigilance), ACP Vashishta and Sub-Inspector Vishal Yadav as respondents. It relies on videos allegedly circulating on social media in which police personnel are purportedly seen making threatening and derogatory remarks against advocates, and seeks an independent and time-bound inquiry, appropriate criminal and departmental proceedings where warranted, removal of the allegedly threatening videos, and safeguards for the dignity, independence and security of advocates. The plea contends that Vashishta's suspension alone does not address the wider allegations or the continued circulation of the videos. These are the petitioner's allegations and claims; they have not been established in court.

Source: Bar and Bench

On Tuesday, lawyers had told the court that remarks such as a reference to using an AK-47 and describing lawyers as "kale coat ke gunde" (goons in black coats) had allegedly been used against members of the legal profession. A group of lawyers had initially urged the court to take suo motu cognisance of the alleged threats; the bench declined to proceed on its own and asked them to file a formal petition with the available material.

Source: LawTrend

How the standoff began

The controversy stems from an October 23 incident at Shahdara police station, where advocate Lalit Bansal allegedly sustained a serious head injury during a scuffle. The incident was followed by a confrontation between lawyers and police personnel and an indefinite strike by district court lawyers, which was later called off. On October 28, Delhi Police transferred Vashishta, then posted as sub-divisional police officer in Gandhi Nagar, to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC). The row resurfaced after Vashishta and a group of police personnel protested outside the police headquarters, and Vashishta has since been suspended by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The PIL is the latest development in the standoff, following the suspension of ACP Vashishta after the headquarters protest, which Awaaz Punjab reported earlier this week. What the High Court orders on Friday will decide the next stage of the dispute between the capital's lawyers and its police force.