The Allahabad High Court has issued a directive to the Lucknow Police, mandating security for three lawyers, including two women, following allegations of harassment and violence by certain lawyers at the Lucknow district court. This order came from a Division Bench led by Justice Rajan Roy and Justice Manjive Shukla during a special hearing convened at 7 p.m. The session was requested by the advocates, primarily practicing in Delhi, who reported that advocate Saurabh Kumar Verma and his associates obstructed their appearance before a civil judge in a pending case.
The advocates, Abhipsa Mohanty, Komal Agarwal, and Ashutosh Srivastava, presented their grievances, highlighting that their client, Mohd Shakir, was subjected to physical assault and intimidation, allegedly with threats for pursuing legal action against a lawyer. This legal conflict stems from a civil suit concerning the declaration of title and injunction related to a property allegedly under the control of advocate Verma.
The High Court emphasized that this is not an isolated incident at the Lucknow court, noting the severity of the situation as it pertains not only to alleged criminal activities but also to potential disruptions in the justice process. The court has thus instructed the district judge of Lucknow to submit a report on the matter promptly and has also requested a detailed account of advocate Verma’s history and the involvement of other lawyers in the incident.
In its directive, the court stated, “The applicants-Advocates whose names and details are mentioned in the application shall be provided adequate security by the Police Commissionerate, Lucknow as they are staying in Lucknow with respect to the aforesaid suit and these proceedings, i.e., till they are in Lucknow. Their entry and appearance before this Court tomorrow at 10:15 A.M. shall be facilitated by adequate security measures, and the Senior Registrar of this Court at Lucknow shall facilitate their entry and appearance before this Court tomorrow.”
This order underscores the court’s commitment to ensuring the safety of legal practitioners and maintaining the integrity of the judicial process in the region.
