MADHUBANI: Two police officers in Bihar’s Madhubani district on Thursday barged into the chambers of a judge, pulled out their service weapons and assaulted him before lawyers in the sub-divisional court complex heard the commotion and rescued him.
Additional district judge Avinash Kumar-I, the target of the attack by the two police officers, later reported the attack to the Patna high court. At a special hearing later in the evening, the Patna high court said, “Prima facie, it appears that this episode puts the independence of judiciary in jeopardy”, and ordered the Bihar director general of police (DGP) SK Singhal to file a status report in a sealed cover and be present in the court on the next date of hearing, November 29, in view of the magnitude and enormity of the issues involved”.
According to the high court order which took suo moto cognisance of judge Avinash Kumar’s complaint, Ghoghardiha station house officer Gopal Krishna, and sub-inspector Abhimanyu Kumar Sharma, forcibly entered additional district and sessions judge Avinash Kumar’s chambers and started abusing him.
“On his protest, both police officers started misbehaving and manhandling the judge, and not only this, they also physically assaulted him. They also took out their service revolvers and wanted to attack the officer. However, certain court employees and advocates reached there due to which life of the officer was saved,” the high court order said.
The two policemen were later thrashed by the lawyers.
Jhanjharpur bar association vice president Balram Sah said lawyers rushed into the judge’s chambers on hearing loud noises inside shortly after the two police officers barged in. Jhanjharpur’s Advocates’ Association promptly convened a meeting to pass a resolution condemning the incident. “It is an attack on judiciary by the administration”, the resolution said.
The lawyers have demanded strict action against the two police officers and the district superintendent of police Dr Satya Prakash.
Some lawyers said a recent order by the judge against senior police officers appeared to have angered the police. There was, however, no confirmation.
Judge Avinash Kumar is known to be unsparing in his criticism once wrong is established. In July this year, he recommended sending the district superintendent of police Dr Satya Prakash to Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad, for a crash course on handling matters relating to offences against minor girls.
The judge’s sharp comment came in a case where the SP signed off on a charge sheet in a minor girl’s rape where the police only charged the accused with kidnapping, not rape. Also, the police treated the girl as an adult despite a medical board opinion that she was 15 years old when she was kidnapped.
