HC to hear plea seeking action against suspended ACP over threats

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday, November 4, agreed to hear on November 6 a plea by lawyers seeking action against suspended Delhi Police ACP Manasvi Vashishta and other officials for allegedly threatening advocates.

The matter was mentioned before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma for urgent listing.

“List it on Friday,” the bench said.

Initially, a group of lawyers urged the court to take suo motu cognisance of the issue. The bench, however, declined to initiate proceedings on its own and asked them to file a proper plea along with all available material.

On Tuesday, the lawyers had told the court that remarks such as “use of AK-47” and “kale coat ke gunde” (goons in black coats) had been made against advocates.

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 at the police station, prompting district court lawyers to launch an indefinite strike, which was later called off.

On October 28, Delhi Police transferred Vashishta, who was then posted as the sub-divisional police officer in Gandhi Nagar, to the Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC). Inspector Arun Kumar, who was the SHO of Shahdara police station at the time, was transferred to the security unit.

The transfers came amid demands by lawyers for action against police officers allegedly responsible for the assault on Bansal and the subsequent confrontation at the police station. The lawyers later called off their strike.

The controversy resurfaced on Monday when Vashishta and a group of Delhi Police personnel staged a protest outside the police headquarters against the transfers. Certain remarks were also made about lawyers during the demonstration.

Vashishta has since been suspended by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

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