Senior lawyer Jilani manhandled

LUCKNOW: A group of lawyers on Thursday reportedly manhandled and misbehaved with senior high court lawyer Zafaryab Jilani in the civil court compound, where he had gone to meet the two lawyers, who had been allegedly assaulted twice by a group of advocates during the last two consecutive days.
Ironically, despite the local police being aware of the volatile situation existing there lately, the senior officials had not found it necessary to deploy additional force to ensure peace nor had they bothered to lodge an FIR against the accused lawyers who had indulged in violence on Tuesday and Wednesday.
On the contrary, the police were quick to lodge an FIR against Jilani and others on the complaint of the opposite party.
On Tuesday, a group of lawyers assaulted the six alleged terrorists arrested in connection with the serial blasts in UP, who were brought to the court for a hearing.
On Wednesday, Faridi and his senior Mohd Shoaib were at their chamber when again a group of lawyers allegedly stormed in and assaulted them, in which 65-year-old Mohd Shoaib suffered injuries. The same afternoon, Shoaib too lodged a complaint with the police. But the case was not registered till Thursday evening.
On Thursday, when senior lawyer Zafaryab Jilani, along with some of his colleagues including Maqsood, Arif and others, went to meet Faridi and Shoaib on some errand, they were mobbed by a group of lawyers at the entrance itself.
It took over half an hour for the police to reach the site and escort Jilani and his colleagues away from the site.
Interestingly, police were quick to lodge an FIR against Jilani, Mohammad Shoaib, Mohammad Maqsood, Atiq, Manshu alias Masood Ahmad along with AM Faridi's son and over a dozen others on the complaint of one Anurag Trivedi.
Talking to TOI, Mohammad Shoaib said: "It is the duty of a lawyer to defend his counsel as everyone, even those pronounced guilty of an offence have the right to appeal. I am doing my duty that some vested interests don't like.
But, the agony is that even the police are supporting these vested interests." Jilani too expressed dissatisfaction: "Being fully aware of what had happened with the two lawyers on Tuesday and Wednesday, the police did not find it important to ensure the security of the two victims. The police are blatantly conniving with the accused against the rule of the law," Jilani said, adding if proper action was not initiated against the accused, he would take up the issue with all possible authorities.
SSP Akhil Kumar, meanwhile claimed investigations were on and action would soon be taken against the guilty.