Magisterial inquiry to settle dispute amid lawyers' protest against police 'misconduct' in Varanasi

Varanasi (UP), Sep 21 (PTI) Following a four-day protest by lawyers against alleged police misconduct, the Varanasi district administration on Sunday initiated a magisterial inquiry to resolve the dispute, officials said.

The decision was reached during a meeting on Sunday evening between senior administration officials and representatives of the Central Bar and Banaras Bar associations.

The meeting held at the camp office of Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal was attended by a committee of 11 lawyers, Divisional Commissioner S Rajalingam, District Magistrate Satendra Kumar, and other senior police and administration officials.

According to Manglesh Dubey, president of the Central Bar Association, Varanasi, a magisterial inquiry would be conducted into the dispute, with a key condition that no arrests will be made from either side during the probe.

Commissioner Agarwal said to prevent similar disputes in the future, a monthly meeting will be held between lawyers, police, and administrative officials to directly address the concerns of the legal community.

He expressed hope that this initiative will improve coordination between both parties and prevent further conflicts.

The protest that began on Wednesday stemmed from a series of incidents in the past few months, including an alleged assault on advocate Shiva Pratap Singh by police in the Bhelupur area on Monday.

Police, on the other hand, claimed that a group of lawyers assaulted sub-inspector Mithilesh Kumar Prajapati on a court premises on Tuesday. Ten named and more than 50 unnamed lawyers were booked in a police case as a consequence.

After the police case, lawyers accused ADCP Neetu and Cantt SHO Shivakant Mishra of misbehaviour and boycotted legal work.

On Saturday, lawyers wore handcuffs and black armbands, denounced police through slogans, and warned them of an escalated agitation if cases against them, which they claim were fabricated, were not withdrawn. PTI COR CDN ARI