Hapur Lathicharge: Lawyers Boycott Work In UP, Yogi Govt Forms 4-Member Panel To Probe Incident

Lawyers across the state of Uttar Pradesh abstained from work on Tuesday in protest against the last week's Hapur lathicharge incident.

Lawyers of Allahabad High Court raise slogans during a protest in Prayagraj over the alleged police lathi-charge on advocates in Hapur district last week. ( Image Source :PTI )

Lawyers across Uttar Pradesh have boycotted work on Tuesday in protest over the alleged lathicharge incident that took place in Hapur last week. In Prayagraj, the members of the Allahabad High Court's bar association have decided to abstain from judicial work despite a request from the chief justice of the court, reported PTI. It added that a press release issued by the High Court Bar Association read that an emergency meeting of the lawyers' body was called on Monday night where the members expressed their anger as no action had been taken against the guilty in an incident of police lathi-charge on lawyers in Hapur.

It was decided that they would abstain from judicial work on Tuesday as well, the statement further read.

According to PTI, a bench of Chief Justice Pratinkar Dewakar and Justice M C Tripathi on Monday told the lawyers that courts would start functioning from Tuesday and requested them to resume work.

Notably, the Uttar Pradesh Bar Council had announced a three-day lawyers' strike from September 4-6 over the Hapur lathicharge incident.

The development comes after police allegedly lathi-charged the lawyers who were protesting peacefully on August 29 against the filing of an alleged false case against Advocate Priyanka Tyagi. However, the police reportedly resorted to lathicharge at the alleged directions of a CO due to which many advocates sustained minor to severe injuries, reported Live Law.

Meanwhile, CM Yogi Adityanath-led government had formed a four-member committee to probe the entire incident. According to PTI, the additional advocate general informed the HC 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.

"In connection with the Hapur incident, a three-member inquiry committee was constituted by CM Yogi Adityanath under the chairmanship of Commissioner, Meerut. Apart from IG Meerut and DIG Moradabad, Harinath Pandey, Retd Principal Judge, Family Court, Lucknow has also been included in this committee. A four-member inquiry committee has been asked to investigate all aspects of the incident and submit a report," a tweet from X handle of Government of UP read.

#UPCM श्री @myogiadityanath जी के निर्देशों के क्रम में हापुड़ की घटना के संबंध में कमिश्नर मेरठ की अध्यक्षता में त्रिसदस्यीय जांच कमेटी का गठन किया गया था। अब इस कमेटी में आईजी मेरठ तथा डीआईजी मुरादाबाद के अलावा श्री हरिनाथ पाण्डेय, सेवानिवृत्त प्रधान न्यायाधीश, परिवार न्यायालय…

— Government of UP (@UPGovt) September 5, 2023

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