Personal security officers of Madras high court judges were withdrawn all of a sudden and many judges did not have their guards around when violence was raging inside the court premises on February 19, said the Madras High Court Advocates Association (MHAA) president RC Paul Kanagaraj on Tuesday.
Making his submissions before a division bench comprising Justice FM Ibrahim Kalifulla and Justice R Banumathi, Kanagaraj said the rampaging police did not spare even those judges who attempted to intervene and restore peace on the campus. "They were chased and intimidated, and personal security officers who were supposed to protect them during such occasions were not around," Paul Kanagaraj said. Police barged into chambers of judges and court corridors, he added.
Charging the state government with failure to ensure the smooth functioning of judiciary in Tamil Nadu, the MHAA president said the government demonstrated "utter lack of concern towards the gross transgressions by the state machinery." The government has so far tried to obstruct court proceedings and prevent the truth from being placed before the court, he said.
"Far from maintaining law and order, and ensuring peace, the police acted as agent provocateurs and indulged in arson, force, attempt to murder and caused grievous hurt to advocates, for which they ought to be punished severely," Paul Kanagaraj argued.
Advocate R Vaigai, on her part, submitted that the police had laid illegal siege to the court. She said it was not correct to claim that police merely retaliated to provocation from advocates. "Unarmed advocates were reduced to a heap and thrashed. The then commissioner led the attack," she said.
Referring to a photograph, which showed a baton number, Vaigai said even though a high court judge was shown as being beaten with the baton, the director-general of police claimed that police personnel involved in the excesses were yet to be identified. Action was not taken with due urgency and alarm, she said.
Submitting that advocates had no personal animosity with any individual police official, Vaigai said action should be taken against the offenders to ensure that the might of law was not eroded by government and police action. "A strong message should be sent across to police," she said. Arguments will continue on Wednesday.
