NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has strongly condemned acts of violence by members of the Bar in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district and ordered the immediate release on bail of toll plaza employees who had approached the apex court alleging denial of legal representation and threats from local lawyers.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, while allowing a writ petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution, observed that the "custodians of justice" had themselves turned perpetrators of violence, creating an atmosphere of fear that deprived the accused of effective legal representation.
"The custodians of justice (Members of the District Bar Association, Barabanki) have turned into perpetrators of violence, which has led the petitioners to knock the doors of this court to protect their Fundamental Rights, " the Justice Vikram Nath-led Bench said.
The petitioners, contractual employees of M/s Skylark Infra Engineering Pvt. Ltd. and posted on toll collection duty at the Gotona Bara Toll Plaza on the Lucknow–Sultanpur highway in Barabanki district, have been in custody for over two months following a scuffle with an advocate over payment of toll charges.