Chennai: Madras High Court on Monday stayed
further proceedings on the chargesheet filed by the CBI in a
city court in connection with the clash between police and
advocates in the high court complex on February 19 last year.
The interim order was passed by Justice K N Basha on a
petition by an advocate seeking to quash the chargesheet
against 31 lawyers.
"There shall be no further proceedings before the
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) pending
further orders," the Judge said and posted the petition to
January 29.
The petitioner had contended that the investigation by
the CBI was not according to law and the directions issued by
a Full Bench of the Court in the aftermath of the clash.
CBI had filed the chargesheet in the ACMM court on
January 12 against four police personnel and 32 advocates and
recommended departmental action against 22 policemen in
connection with the clash that left a Judge, scores of
advocates and policemen besides journalists injured.
The Tamil Nadu Advocates' Association, Madras High Court
Advocates association and Women Lawyers Association had filed
memos before the magistrate court opposing the chargesheet I
on the ground that it was 'biased' and sought its return.
They had claimed that 'there are several documents,
photographs and video clippings to implicate other officers
and men of the police force' for their 'attack' on advocates.
The lawyers had boycotted the courts on January 22
protesting the CBI chargesheet, which made no reference to
the role of four senior police personnel, including then City
Police Commissioner K Radhakrishnan, indicted by the High
Court.
A specially constituted bench, hearing a batch of
petitions by advocates and police, in October last had held
Radhakrishnan, then ADCP (Law and Order) A K Viswanathan, then
Joint Commissioner (North) Ramasubramani and then DCP Flower
Bazaar police station Prem Anand Sinha, responsible for the
violent incidents and ordered their suspension.
The Tamil Nadu Government had challenged the order in the
Supreme Court.
The CBI took over investigations into the case following
a directive from the High Court.
PTI
First Published: Monday, January 25, 2010, 19:41