The Delhi High Court today agreed to hear a contempt plea on July 23 against two lawyers and others for allegedly abusing and manhandling some persons from the Northeastern India, including a woman advocate, inside a district court premises here.
The Delhi Police counsel said "the contemnors (two district court lawyers) prima facie appear to be guilty of abuse of judicial process, obstruction of judicial proceedings, abuse of women and manhandling of innocent people before a court of law."
"I am of the view that a case of criminal contempt is prima facie made out against the contemnors herein," Saleem Ahmed, the counsel for police, said in his letter.
Some persons from the Northeast, who had gone to Tis Hazari courts on May 23 for recording of the statement of a molestation victim from the region, were allegedly abused and assaulted by some lawyers inside the courtroom of a magistrate, the contempt plea has said.
A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw took note of the plea and short arguments advanced by senior lawyer Indira Jaising and posted it for hearing on July 23.
The fresh plea has been filed in a pending PIL which was instituted after the court had taken suo motu cognizance of media reports about the death of Arunachal Pradesh student Nido Tania and had issued a slew of directions on the issue of safety and security of Northeast citizens in the capital.
It has been alleged that the two Delhi-based lawyers and some others had allegedly abused and assaulted persons from Northeast inside the Tis Hazari Court premises on May 23.
A girl, who was allegedly molested on the night of May 22 outside Vishwa Vidyalaya Metro station by an advocate, was accompanied by her friends and the lawyer to a magisterial court in Tis Hazari for recording of her statement, it said.
The lawyers, who had gathered inside the courtroom in support of their accused colleague, hurled abuses against the victim and her supporters and assaulted some of them, the plea said.
It has also sought a probe "to ascertain the identity of other lawyers who participated in acts of assault and intimidation and aided or abetted the contemnors in their acts of criminal contempt.
