Delhi HC orders inquiry into woman lawyer’s alleged illegal arrest

The Delhi High Court today ordered an inquiry into the incident wherein a woman lawyer was arrested by the police even though the Additional Public Prosecutor had assured the previous day that no coercive action would be taken against her..Deepa Arya, the lawyer in question, today filed a criminal writ petition through Advocate Awadh Kaushik, seeking a CBI investigation into the matter and praying for punishment to the officers for defiance of judicial orders and misbehaving with the lawyers..Arya stated that her relatives, with whom she has some property disputes, are out to harass her and get her arrested in collusion with some corrupt officers of the Delhi Police. It was further stated that more than 10 cases have been filed against her in the past 2-3 years..Arya had also filed a petition under Section 482 of the CrPC through Advocate RK Saini before the Delhi High Court, seeking quashing of an order of the Saket Court, which had cancelled the bail granted to her in a case registered under Section 354/ 506..APP Mukesh Kumar, appearing for the State, had made a statement before the court that no coercive action would be taken against Arya till the next date of hearing..The petition stated that despite a clear message having been given to the police about the proceedings in the court and the statement made by the APP, a team of the Delhi Police along with some private persons, tried to break open the doors of the house of lawyer RK Saini, where Arya was staying..It is stated that the police treated Arya in an inhuman and abusive manner,.“The act and conduct of the Delhi Police is not only stunning and shocking but also humiliating for the 60 year old lady advocate…..It is evidently an act of personal grudge and hostile attitude towards the lawyer which is been seen repeatedly in the last few years by the Delhi Police and thus, now the time has come to take serious cognizance of the issue.” .The petition further submits that a proper mechanism is needed to train and sensitize police officers with respect to their behavior towards the public as well as lawyers, who are officers of the court and an integral part of the judicial system..The Division Bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Deepa Sharma after hearing the petition, directed that an inquiry be conducted into the incident by an officer not below the rank of a Deputy Commissioner of Police.