Patna High Court lawyers to boycott Acting Chief Justice’s Court over inaction on assault of 2 lawyers

The Coordination Committee of three associations - the Advocate Association, Lawyers Association and Bar Association of the Patna High Court - on Tuesday passed a resolution to boycott proceedings before the court of Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) PB Bajanthri.

The move comes after two lawyers - Ansul Aryan and his wife Manogya Singh - were allegedly assaulted on their way to the Patna High Court.

According to the resolution passed by the Coordination Committee of the three associations, the couple was attacked by the staff of Delhi Public School. While Aryan reportedly suffered injuries, Singh was subjected to verbal abuse and intimidating sexual posturing. Her mobile phone was allegedly snatched and broken.

The incident was brought to the notice of the criminal motion Bench, which on September 9 directed the personal appearance of the Station House Office, Rupaspur Police Station. Subsequently, the Registry was ordered to register a suo motu criminal writ application titled “In the matter of Assault on the Advocate”, after obtaining permission from the Acting Chief Justice.

On September 10, the matter was placed before a different bench - of ACJ Bajanthri and Justice Alok Kumar Sinha. This Bench framed an issue on whether suo motu judicial notice could be taken and whether formal approval of the Acting Chief Justice on the administrative side was valid. Significantly, the Bench dispensed with the personal appearance of the Rupaspur SHO, which had earlier been directed by the coordinate Division Bench.

This move triggered strong objection from the Bar, which argued that one coordinate bench could not interfere with the order of another. Representatives of the Coordination Committee submitted that the order of September 10 reflected poorly on the institution and detracted from the real issue — the assault on the lawyers.

During the hearing on September 17, the Court directed two criminal writ applications to be listed and adjourned the matter for next week. However, leaders of the Bar expressed disappointment, alleging that the Bench presided by the Acting Chief Justice was attempting to delay and diffuse the matter. They thus resolved to boycott the ACJ's Court on September 18.

“The Bench presided by the Acting Chief Justice was not sensitive about the real issue, i.e., assault on the two lawyers by a school whose management is famed to have deep inroads into corridors of power. The Bar feels that the Hon'ble Court was some how trying to linger the matter of the real issue of assault and diffuse the matter," the resolution stated.

[Read Resolution]