Advocate Associations across Mumbai and Thane district abstained from work and protested in solidarity with a lawyer who was allegedly assaulted by a police inspector.
According to Rajesh More, president of the court’s bar association, Prithviraj Zhala, a lawyer, was assaulted at Kandivali police station on Tuesday after an argument with assistant police inspector (API) Anant Gite.
In addition, a signature campaign for the passage of the Advocates Protection Act was held, with many advocates signing the petition both offline and online.
An official said that hundreds of lawyers at Mumbai’s Metropolitan Magistrate court in the Borivali suburb went on strike on Thursday after one of their colleagues was allegedly assaulted by a cop inside a police station.
According to Rajesh More, president of the court’s bar association, Prithviraj Zhala, a lawyer, was assaulted at Kandivli police station on Tuesday after an argument with assistant police inspector (API) Anant Gite.
API Gite slapped our lawyer four times without reason and acted very arrogantly. We went to the police station the next day and demanded that the officer be fired. We also met with top Mumbai police officials, who assured us that action would be taken, said More.
Justifying the protest, More said, Today, we have stopped working in the court. No case will be accepted by an advocate. We want the API Gite to be reserved and the Advocates Protection Act to be passed.
According to an official, API Gite has been assigned to the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Zone XI office until an inquiry report on the matter is submitted. The Goregaon division’s assistant commissioner of police (ACP) will lead the investigation.
According to the official, lawyer Zhala was dressed casually at the time of the incident. A senior police official stated that the matter is being investigated.
