SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Mar 9: An irate litigant slapped a lawyer during the mediation of a matrimonial dispute in Dhanbad civil court on Wednesday afternoon.
District Legal Service Authority (DLSA) secretary Natasha Barla said that the incident happened during the mediation of a dispute between a youth Satish Sab and his wife Kirtika in the court. Both husband and wife were engaged in a heated argument.
When Kirtika’s lawyer Mahendra Gope tried to convince Satish, they also got engaged in an argument. All of a sudden, Satish Sab lost his cool and began beating the lawyer. However, other lawyers present in the court rescued Mahendra Gope.
On getting information, lawyers of the Dhanbad Bar Association and police rushed to the courtroom and took the youth Satish Sab in custody. Later on, an FIR was lodged in the Dhanbad Sadar police station on the complaint of lawyer Mahendra Gope.
Natasha Barla said that the DLSA has launched a special drive for mediation of matrimonial disputes under which Satish Sab and his wife Kirtika were called for settlement.
Kirtika had left Satish and has been living in her father’s house for the last two months. Satish, a resident of Jharia, had filed a petition for mediation in the court.
Meanwhile, Dhanbad Bar Association president Amrendra Sahay, who was also present in the court at the time of the incident, condemned the incident and demanded the deployment of police in the court.
“The accused not only beat up the lawyer but also intervened in judicial work. So, to avoid such unsavoury incidents in future, the bar has demanded deployment of police for protection,” he said.
