Attack on Indian lawyer sparks fresh strike

Although police have now arrested four men – and are looking for two more -- for their involvement in the alleged attack on Ishwar Chandra Das, lawyers are demanding a thorough investigation. According to The Times of India, more than 47,000 lawyers took part in the two-day strike, hampering legal work across all district courts as well as the Orissa High Court.

The incident follows allegations of a similar attack on lawyers in Jaipur last week, which saw high court lawyers disrupt proceedings in that region in protest.

Security legislation

To mount pressure on police, the Orissa High Court Bar Association had asked members of other bars in the state to support their action by not attending courts. ‘Ten days had passed since the incident but police are yet to arrest all the six persons involved in the incident,’ said Piyush Mishra, general secretary of the High Court Bar Association.

Meanwhile, state bar council member Prasanta Ranjan Patnaik demanded implementation of the Advocate's Security Act in the state. ‘The government should take steps to frame the Act for betterment of the lawyers' community,’ he said.