Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (DV)
Mangaluru, Aug 12: A day after the suspension of inspector T D Nagaraj was revoked and he was transferred as incharge of Bajpe police station, Mangaluru bar association president Chengappa on Wednesday August 12 condemned the move and termed it as a 'mockery of judiciary'.
T D Nagaraj had been suspended for allegedly assaulting lawyer Uttam Rai when the latter had come with a client to Kadri police station on July 31. Following intense protest by the lawyers, Nagaraj was suspended, but Tuesday August 11, his suspension was revoked and he was transferred to Bajpe police station.
Addressing a press meet here, Chengappa said, "Revoking the suspension of T D Nagaraj and appointing him as incharge of Bajpe police station is a mockery of judiciary as well as the law. The case against Nagaraj was filed on non-bailable offences and he should have been arrested.
"Nagaraj was suspended on the demand of lawyers and FIR was filed. We demand an unbiased probe. When I spoke to the police commissioner after the incident, he had agreed for an impartial proble and suspended the cop. But now the sanctity of the suspension order is lost and it is clear that it was just an eyewash," he said.
Alleging that Nagaraj had political backing, he said, "T D Nagaraj is a relative of an influential minister. But whatever be the case, nobody is above the law. There have been instances of chief ministers being arrested. Nagaraj could have at least taken anticipatory bail.
"After the incident, Nagaraj also filed a false counter case against Uttam Rai. One who is supposed to abide by law is breaking it. If this is the condition of lawyers, then what about the common people? he added.
He also informed that lawyer Uttam Rai has submitted a writ petition in the high court urging that the suspension order against T D Nagaraj should not be revoked till proper probe is done. "The court's verdict is expected on Monday August 17. However, despite knowing that such a writ petition had been submitted in the high court, the police commissioner went ahead and revoked the suspension," he claimed.
"We will be meeting home minister K J George with the help of MLC Ivan D'Souza (who is also a member of the bar associaion) to demand probe by CID or other external agencies," he added.
"This is not an ego issue, we are protesting in public interest. It is our duty to defend our clients. If such incidents continue, what will our clients do? There have been custodial deaths in the undivided Dakshina Kannada over the few days, so we want to create public awareness," Chengappa said.
"From past 10 years T D Nagaraj has been serving in the city police department, transferring from one station to another. When civil servants like the DC can be transferred to other districts, why not police officers? If there is regular transfer, then there will not be scope for corruption," he added.
Demanding CCTVs in police stations, he said, "We will hold a campaign demanding installation of CCTVs in each police station, sub-registrar's office and in MUDA office. We will also meet the chief justice of Karnataka high court demanding establishment of human rights courts in each district to deal with violation of human rights and to uphold Constitutional rights of citizens.
"Today (August 12) we abstained from court proceedings without affecting the normal functioning of the court," he added.
To a query by reporters, he said any lawyer can take up T D Nagaraj's case, and not doing it would be against the ethics of the profession.