Tamil Nadu lawyers in call off strike

Chennai, Mar 20 (ANI): The striking lawyers in Tamil Nadu have decided to call off their month-long strike and resume their work in courts from Monday.

This was decided at a meeting of the Joint Action Committee of the lawyers in Chennai last evening.

Meanwhile, hundreds of lawyers marched in jubilation on the streets of Chennai after a court ordered suspension of two top police officials allegedly involved in baton-charging them last month.

The two senior officers were involved in a standoff lasting several hours last month when police baton-charged the lawyers in the High Court complex and fired teargas.

The High Court ordered the suspensions of additional commissioner of police A.K. Vishwanathan and joint commissioner J. Rama Subramani on Wednesday.

Lawyers, who had gone on strike demanding their suspension, hailed the move as a step in the right direction.

"We have asked for the entire team to be taken task because they have done a rampage on the institution," said R.C. Paul Kanakaraj, president of Madras High Court Advocates' Association (MHAA).

Clashes broke out between police and lawyers when police tried to arrest two lawyers who had allegedly thrown rotten eggs on the noted lawyer and the Janata Party President, Subramanian Swamy in the courtroom on February 17.

The lawyers reportedly manhandled Swami, who enjoys Z-category security.

On February 19, a number of lawyers and reporters were injured during the police baton charge after a police post and a number of vehicles were set on fire allegedly by lawyers and turned the court premises into a battleground. (ANI)