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The Supreme Court today took a serious note of Delhi Police inaction in protecting a woman advocate who was allegedly assaulted at a police station by policemen and henchmen of an influential person against whom she had gone to serve the court's stay order in a property dispute case.
Taking suo-motu cognizance of the "gravity" of the matter, a bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha directed Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi to submit to the apex court the action taken report on the complaint filed by the lawyer on April 14.
The bench also directed the DCP, East, to ensure that "no harm is caused to the advocate".
"We are informed that despite four weeks of the complaint, no action or steps have been taken by the Commissioner of Police," the bench, also comprising Justices A K Patnaik, K S Radhakrishnan and S S Nijjar, said.
The court treated as petition a letter written to its Registry by the advocate in which she narrated the incident.
Advocate Ambika Das had lodged the complaint with the Commissioner of Police that she was assaulted on April 4 at the Lajpat Nagar Police Station in south Delhi when she had gone to serve the court order relating to a property in which a person named Himmat Rai Malhotra is involved.
She complained she was dragged and beaten by the people owing allegiance to the opposite party when she reached the police station.
The court noted that the advocate had immediately made the complaint to the police by dialing 100 number and on April 6, she had also forwarded an e-mail complaint and finally she brought the incident to the notice of the police chief on April 14.
The court appointed senior advocate Vijay Hansaria as amicus curiae for his assistance in the matter in which the Supreme Court Bar Association has also sought severe action against the erring policemen.
