BackOpinion | Cops vs lawyers: a sorry spectacle
The preliminary defence offered by either side indicates that both may be equally guilty of taking the law into their hands
PremiumViolent clashes between police personnel and lawyers in Delhi over the weekend and on Monday at different lower courts have hurt the image of two major elements of our justice system. If those tasked with protecting the law are themselves involved in street violence, then one can’t help but wonder if the common citizen is safe. About a dozen policemen and lawyers were injured—one lawyer is reported to have sustained a bullet injury—in clashes triggered by a minor parking-related argument. Both sides blame the other for starting the fight; to ascertain the truth, an inquiry by a retired high court judge has been ordered.
The preliminary defence offered by either side indicates that both may be equally guilty of taking the law into their hands. The police hasn’t convincingly explained why it had to open fire, while the lawyers’ argument that they merely retaliated to police excesses would suggest rather little faith in the due process of law. This sends out sorry signals about the effectiveness of our justice system.
Both sides represent powerful groups capable of responding collectively. But what if common citizens were at one end? Who would they turn to? If the police and lawyers themselves don’t follow the law, there would be little hope that ordinary folk would be able to seek recourse to the country’s legal system. Sadly, that is already somewhat true, with reports every now and then from different parts of the country of aggrieved citizens being turned away by apathetic police personnel. The entire system needs to be ashamed of the unseemly spectacle these cops and lawyers made of themselves.
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