MP: Lawyer’s suicide in Jabalpur sparks off angry protest on HC premises

PTI, Sep 30, 2022, 7:40 PM IST

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Jabalpur: An alleged suicide by a lawyer triggered a violent protest on the premises of the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Jabalpur bench here on Friday, police said.

The State Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh (SBCMP) appealed to the lawyers to abstain from work on Saturday, alleging that Anurag Sahu, the deceased, was being harassed by some officials and fellow advocates.

Sahu allegedly hanged himself at his house after pleading a case in the high court in the afternoon, a police official said.

Following his death, a group of lawyers staged a protest on the high court premises and allegedly set fire to the chamber of a lawyer who had appeared against Sahu in the court, he said.

Police were forced to cane-charge the protestors to restore order and some policemen sustained injuries during the incident, Superintendent of Police Siddharth Bahuguna told PTI.

Asked if the deceased lawyer had left behind a suicide note, the SP said the matter will be probed.

In the evening, the SBCMP appealed to the lawyers to stay away from court proceedings across the state on Saturday to protest against advocate Sahu’s suicide. Council’s vice chairman R K Singh Saini claimed in a statement that Sahu was facing harassment from some officers and advocates.

The Bar Council will also write to the Chief Minister demanding action against the policemen who ”mercilessly lathi-charged the advocates”, he said.