Criminal cases to be registered against advocates: Bidari

Bangalore, Jan 18: Taking serious note of the seven-hour gridlock following a road blockade protest by a section of lawyers, Karnataka Police has decided to register criminal cases against them, a top official said on Wednesday.

"We have decided to file criminal cases against these advocates who held the whole city to ransom yesterday", Director General and Inspector General of Police Shankar Bidari told reporters here.

He said city Police Commissioner Jyothiprakash Mirji has submitted a detailed report on the incident and "the case will properly investigated and those who have taken law into their hands will be brought to book".

The Central part of the city yesterday witnessed about a seven-hour gridlock following obstruction of the road by the lawyers demanding action against a police constable who allegedly assaulted one of their colleagues.

The agitation, held at the Mysore Bank circle on the K G Road junction, one of the city's busiest roads connecting railway station and other business hubs of the city, was called off only the Police Commissioner announced the suspension of the constable.

In a stern warning, Bidari said a criminal case will be registered against any person who holds up traffic on a road for over five minutes under provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Earlier Bidari summoned the Police Commissioner and other police officials to his office to discuss yesterday's incident. Mirji submitted a 20 page-long report explaining in detail the unruly behaviour of the advocates towards the police and the inconvenience caused to the general public. The lawyers staged the protest demanding suspension of the constable for allegedly thrashing an advocate and two of his associates for triple riding on January 14, police said.

PTI