After a lawyer committed himself at the High Court in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, purportedly following an altercation with a judge, protesting attorneys went on the rampage and brought the lawyer’s body to the court grounds. They set fire to a senior advocate’s office and vandalised courtrooms.
Anurag Sahu, the attorney who committed suicide, quarrelled with the judge when a bail application was being heard. It was unclear whose comment had offended him in that way. According to police, a probe is ongoing.
His body was initially brought into the court of the judge with whom he is said to have argued by the protesting attorneys. They went inside the Chief Justice’s court and looted there as well after not finding him there.
The demonstrators were dispersed by police using lathi charge, and they then remained on a dharna calling for the judge to be punished. The cops sent out a special task force to guard the court.
The State Bar Council, which is near the courthouse, is where the attorney who had represented Anurag Sahu was staying when the demonstrators set fire to his room.
According to Superintendent of Police Siddharth Bahuguna, some police officers were hurt during the clashes.
When asked if Anurag Sahu had left a suicide note, the SP said the subject would be looked into.
The Madhya Pradesh State Bar Council issued an appeal in the evening asking attorneys to boycott all court appearances on Saturday in the state as a show of disapproval.
Anurag Sahu was allegedly being harassed by several officers and attorneys, according to a statement from the council vice-chairman RK Singh Saini. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will also get a letter from the council requesting that the police officers who “mercilessly lathi-charged the attorneys” be held accountable.
