Despite request from Allahabad HC CJ, lawyers to abstain from work on Tuesday over Hapur lathicharge incident

Despite a request from the chief justice of the Allahabad High Court, the members of the court's bar association have decided to abstain from judicial work on Tuesday.

According to a press release issued by the High Court Bar Association, an emergency meeting of the lawyers' body was called on Monday night where the members expressed their anger as no action has been taken against the guilty in an incident of police lathicharge on lawyers in Hapur and decided that they will abstain from judicial work on Tuesday as well.

Earlier in the day, a bench of Chief Justice Pratinkar Dewakar and Justice M C Tripathi told the lawyers that courts will start functioning from Tuesday and requested them to resume work.

The additional advocate general informed the court that in view of the lawyers' demand, retired district judge Hari Nath Pandey has been appointed as the chairman of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) looking into the Hapur incident.

The court also asked the authorities concerned not to take any coercive action against any lawyer, whether named or not in the incident.

On the lawyers' demand for a transfer of the officials concerned, the court said it cannot pass an order in this regard at this stage as the SIT report is awaited.

The State Bar Council, at an emergency meeting convened on Sunday, called upon lawyers across Uttar Pradesh to continue the strike till September 6.