Parking woes pit lawyers, judicial employees against each other

Legal Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 26

Controversy has erupted between city lawyers and judicial employees over the issue of parking at the Courts Complex here. Citing paucity of parking space, the lawyers are resisting the parking of vehicles by anyone else other than themselves, including judicial employees.

The situation turned ugly when a judicial employee allegedly misbehaved and thrashed an office-bearer of the District Bar Association (DBA). This prompted a verbal spat between the two sides, with the lawyers staging a dharna to seek action against the employee.

Judicial employees also staged a dharna, alleging maltreatment and misbehaviour with two women employees at the hands of lawyers. It was claimed by them that earlier, in a meeting with DBA office-bearers in the presence of the Sessions Judge, it had been decided that judicial employees would be allowed to park their vehicles after showing their ID cards. But today all of a sudden, they were stopped from parking their vehicles, which led to the confrontation, one of the employees said.

Allegations and counter allegations were levelled by both parties against each other. Several readers of the court went in support of their colleagues.

DBA president Chetan Verma, secretary Vikas Gupta, vice-president Karan Singh, finance secretary Jatinderpal Singh Jetty and others sat on dharna, seeking strict action against the judicial employee. Later, the DBA declared to go on an indefinite strike.

As Sessions Judge Munish Singal was on leave, other judges, including Dr Ajit Atri, Additional Sessions Judge, Sumit Makkar, Civil Judge, Senior Division, held a meeting with DBA office-bearers and tried to resolve the problem.

A meeting between the Sessions Judge and DBA office-bearers would be held on the next working day on May 29.