NEW DELHI: Describing the lawyer-police clash in Chennai on Feb. 19 as serious and sad, the Supreme Court directed the Tamil Nadu government yesterday to inform it within 24 hours who had allowed the police to enter the premises of Madras High Court on that day. “We want to know at whose instance the police were allowed to enter the High Court,” the bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan said. The court is likely to pass a formal order related to the holding of a judicial inquiry into the incident today.
On Feb. 19, the lawyers were protesting against the arrest of one of their colleagues who had attacked the Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy. They torched a police picket on the court premises. What ensued between the police and lawyers left several injured and caused substantial damage to property. Taking note of the incident, the Madras High Court constituted a committee for investigation.
Lawyers from Chennai have objected to the establishment of the committee by the Tamil Nadu government.
The high court said yesterday that the committee to inquire into the incident would be reconstituted after consultation between members of the bar and the state government. The court has ruled out setting up of a judicial committee under a sitting judge.
Taking serious note of the Feb. 19 clash, the court said that the state should generously consider giving financial assistance to lawyers whose vehicles were damaged by the police on court premises. The state should bear medical expenses for the lawyers injured in the clash, the court said.
