Chaos erupts in Delhi courtroom during sentencing in lawyer assault case
New Delhi Nov 30 PTI Chaos erupted in a courtroom in Delhis Tis Hazari court on Tuesday with lawyers chanting slogans and standing atop tables and chairs as they awaited the pronouncement of order on sentencing in an assault case in which Delhi High Court Bar Associations DHCBA ex-President Rajiv Khosla is a convictKhosla was convicted last month in an assault case for criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt to complainant Sujata Kohli who was a lawyer at Tis Hazari court at that time She went on to become a judge in the Delhi judiciary and retired as a District and Sessions Judge last yearCourtroom number 38 where Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gajender Singh Nagar presided saw lawyers chanting shame shame shame and saying that the judge was working under pressure and favouring Kohli Pass the order We want to hear it yelled out one lawyer Police personnel also stood outside the courtroom for securityFew lawyers also climbed on the top of the tables and chairs in the jam-packed courtroom to hear the arguments between the counsels of both the convict and victim During the proceedings Kohli asked the judge Why is he Khosla being allowed to enter the court with a crowd He is here with hundreds of lawyers The convict is again and again reflecting that he has no regard for rule of law He loves to abuse the courtThe former judge who appeared through the video conference said that Khosla used unparliamentary language against the court and the judges post-judgement of his conviction Advocate Birender Sangwa representing Khosla however rebutted This court was favouring the complainant in all manner She took undue advantage of her position after becoming the judge Sangwa claimed that his client Khosla neither used unparliamentary language in the court nor threatened her or tampered with the witnesses Khosla has earned the goodwill he told the courtAfter the argument and chanting of more slogans the judge directed Khosla to pay a total compensation of Rs 40000 to the state and the victim He said that in default of these payments Khosla will undergo simple imprisonment of 30 days The judge further said that even though the convict assaulted a lady bar member in the presence of a number of lawyers he does not deem it fit to send him to imprisonment as he is not convicted in any other case and is a senior citizen After the pronouncement of the order lawyers chanted slogans of Vakeel Ekta Zindabad and Rajiv Khosla Zindabad and applaudedKhosla was convicted on October 29 in the assault case for offences punishable under Sections 323 voluntarily causing hurt and 506 criminal intimidation of the India Penal Code IPC The maximum punishment under these Sections entails a jail term of up to two yearsThe allegations against Khosla were that in July 1994 when he was the Secretary of Delhi Bar Association DBA he asked Kohli to join a seminar and on her refusal threatened her that all facilities from the Bar Association would be withdrawn and she would be dispossessed of her seat as wellKohli had filed a civil suit on August 1 1994 seeking injunction but despite that her table and chair were removed from their spotJust before the civil judge hearing her suit could inspect the spot Khosla along with a mob of 40-50 lawyers allegedly surrounded her she allegedAccording to her complaint Khosla pulled her hair dragged her twisted her arms uttered filthy abuses and threatened herWhile the incident took place in August 1994 the case came before the court in July 1995PTI AAK RKS RKS
New Delhi Nov 30 PTI Chaos erupted in a courtroom in Delhis Tis Hazari court on Tuesday with lawyers chanting slogans and standing atop tables and chairs as they awaited the pronouncement of order on sentencing in an assault case in which Delhi High Court Bar Associations DHCBA ex-President Rajiv Khosla is a convictKhosla was convicted last month in an assault case for criminal intimidation and voluntarily causing hurt to complainant Sujata Kohli who was a lawyer at Tis Hazari court at that time She went on to become a judge in the Delhi judiciary and retired as a District and Sessions Judge last yearCourtroom number 38 where Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Gajender Singh Nagar presided saw lawyers chanting shame shame shame and saying that the judge was working under pressure and favouring Kohli Pass the order We want to hear it yelled out one lawyer Police personnel also stood outside the courtroom for securityFew lawyers also climbed on the top of the tables and chairs in the jam-packed courtroom to hear the arguments between the counsels of both the convict and victim During the proceedings Kohli asked the judge Why is he Khosla being allowed to enter the court with a crowd He is here with hundreds of lawyers The convict is again and again reflecting that he has no regard for rule of law He loves to abuse the courtThe former judge who appeared through the video conference said that Khosla used unparliamentary language against the court and the judges post-judgement of his conviction Advocate Birender Sangwa representing Khosla however rebutted This court was favouring the complainant in all manner She took undue advantage of her position after becoming the judge Sangwa claimed that his client Khosla neither used unparliamentary language in the court nor threatened her or tampered with the witnesses Khosla has earned the goodwill he told the courtAfter the argument and chanting of more slogans the judge directed Khosla to pay a total compensation of Rs 40000 to the state and the victim He said that in default of these payments Khosla will undergo simple imprisonment of 30 days The judge further said that even though the convict assaulted a lady bar member in the presence of a number of lawyers he does not deem it fit to send him to imprisonment as he is not convicted in any other case and is a senior citizen After the pronouncement of the order lawyers chanted slogans of Vakeel Ekta Zindabad and Rajiv Khosla Zindabad and applaudedKhosla was convicted on October 29 in the assault case for offences punishable under Sections 323 voluntarily causing hurt and 506 criminal intimidation of the India Penal Code IPC The maximum punishment under these Sections entails a jail term of up to two yearsThe allegations against Khosla were that in July 1994 when he was the Secretary of Delhi Bar Association DBA he asked Kohli to join a seminar and on her refusal threatened her that all facilities from the Bar Association would be withdrawn and she would be dispossessed of her seat as wellKohli had filed a civil suit on August 1 1994 seeking injunction but despite that her table and chair were removed from their spotJust before the civil judge hearing her suit could inspect the spot Khosla along with a mob of 40-50 lawyers allegedly surrounded her she allegedAccording to her complaint Khosla pulled her hair dragged her twisted her arms uttered filthy abuses and threatened herWhile the incident took place in August 1994 the case came before the court in July 1995PTI AAK RKS RKS
