“No justification for police misbehaviour”

“No justification for police misbehaviour”

CHENNAI: In response to the editorial dated February 28, the Tamil Nadu State Committee of the All India Lawyers Union says: “Your editorial is unfortunately not in tune with the ground realities. At least after the 19th February incident, when more than 500 steel helmeted lathi-wielding policemen went on the rampage, lathi charging lawyers, public and damaging court buildings, several motorcycles and cars inside the court campus and entering the court halls, beating up the Judges, staff, lawyers and litigant public (both men and women), we thought you will condemn the police excesses. Even assuming some lawyers had misbehaved in the past, there was hardly any justification for the police misbehaviour on the 19th February. Otherwise, Mr. Justice Krishna Iyer would not have condemned it in very strong terms and gone to the extent of asking the Judges to resign, not that anybody wants them seriously to resign. It only shows his indignation. Merely because there is a police station in the campus does not mean the police can unleash terror. One just has to go around the High Court to witness the havoc caused by the policemen. Therefore, the Supreme Court has rightly directed the police station to be removed from the campus. There is enough evidence to show that the policemen in advocates’ clothes had entered the campus and caused damage only to discredit the lawyers. The highest judiciary has taken note of the lawlessness by the police and appointed a person no less than the stature of Mr. Justice B.N. Sri Krishna to go into the police excesses.”

The letter was signed by the State committee president N.G.R. Prasad and 13 others.