Delhi Lawyers End Strike After ACP and SHO Transferred
Delhi lawyers call off their abstention from judicial work after the transfer of a senior ACP and SHO following allegations of misconduct.
The legal machinery in the national capital is set to return to full speed as the Coordination Committee of All Delhi Bar Associations has officially called off its abstention from judicial work. The decision comes after the Delhi Police took decisive action by transferring the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of Gandhi Nagar and the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Shahdara Police Station.
High-Level Meeting Resolves Deadlock
The resolution followed a high-stakes meeting held at the old Police Headquarters in ITO. The discussions involved a heavy presence of senior police leadership, including three Joint CPs and various DCPs, alongside key representatives from the legal fraternity. Among those present were Bar Council of Delhi (BCD) Chairman Nitin Ahlawat, Committee Chairman Neeraj, Coordinator Vijay Bishnoi, and the presidents and secretaries of the Dwarka District Court and Shahdara Bar Associations.
Following the meeting, a circular was issued on Wednesday evening confirming that lawyers would resume their judicial duties starting Thursday.
The Transfers and Terms of Agreement
The primary catalyst for the lawyers' satisfaction was the immediate reshuffling of the officers involved in the dispute. ACP Manasvi Vashistha has been moved from the position of SDPO, Gandhi Nagar (Shahdara) to SPUWAC, while Inspector Arun Kumar, the SHO of Shahdara Police Station, has been transferred to Security, Delhi Police.
Beyond the transfers, the Coordination Committee outlined several critical conditions agreed upon during the meeting:
- Time-Bound Inquiry: The investigation into complaints filed by Shahdara Bar Association members against the officials must be completed within two months.
- Arrests of Assault Accused: The police have committed to taking immediate steps to apprehend those accused of assaulting lawyers in a previously lodged FIR.
- Strict Legal Measures: If the accused are not caught promptly, the police will initiate the issuance of Non-Bailable Warrants (NBWs) and Look-Out Circulars (LOC).
- Closing FIRs against Lawyers: Any FIR registered by the Shahdara Police Station against advocates is to be finalized within one week.
The Root of the Conflict: Assault and Alleged Intimidation
The unrest began following an incident where Advocate Lalit Bansal suffered a severe head injury due to an assault, a case for which Advocate Amulya Ratan filed the complaint.
On the evening of October 23, a group of advocates visited the Shahdara Police Station to ensure legal action was being taken. According to the lawyers, the ACP and SHO had initially assured them that the suspects—who were reportedly present at the station at the time—would be arrested.
However, tensions peaked on October 24 when the lawyers discovered that the suspects had not been detained and had allegedly been released. When the advocates returned to the station to demand accountability, they alleged that ACP Manasvi Vashistha behaved aggressively, threatening and intimidating the lawyers present. This perceived misconduct led to the two-day indefinite abstention from judicial work that paralyzed legal proceedings until the recent transfers.