Hundreds of enraged advocates protested and manhandled an accused individual who allegedly assaulted advocate Dirgesh Sharma. Sharma was reportedly attacked due to his involvement in a case against the accused. The incident occurred in the presence of police personnel, who managed to intervene and rescue the accused from the crowd. Following the incident, thousands of advocates held a demonstration and submitted a memorandum outlining their demands to ADM Devendra Verma. The advocates of Chhattisgarh strongly condemned the attack on Dirgesh Sharma, which took place in the Khamtarai police station area of Raipur on January 16, 2025, while he was performing religious rituals. They also noted that neighbors who intervened were also attacked, highlighting the increasing boldness of criminals and perceived administrative negligence.
The advocates expressed deep concern over the repeated attacks on lawyers in the past six months and the lack of effective administrative action. They stated that this situation raises serious questions about the independence of the judiciary and the safety of legal professionals.
The advocates’ demands include the immediate implementation of an Advocate Protection Act with the following provisions: A provision for 7 years imprisonment for anyone who harms a lawyer, their family, or their property, mandatory consent from the concerned State Bar Council before registering a crime against an advocate, requirement for crime registration to be authorized by an SP or higher-ranking officer and a judicial officer of Magistrate level, term insurance of Rs 10,00,000 and health insurance of Rs 5,00,000 for serious health conditions to be provided to the families of deceased advocates and a monthly honorarium of Rs 5,000 for junior advocates. They also demanded that the attacker of Dirgesh Sharma be tried in a fast-track court and given severe punishment. The advocates issued a censure motion strongly condemning the incident as a threat to the safety of lawyers and the independence of the judiciary. They called for strict action against the perpetrators and warned of large-scale protests if their demands are not met promptly. Khamtarai Police had booked Ajay Singh under Section 109 of the BNS.
Sources
India: Lawyers protest attack on colleague, demand Advocate Protection Act