Supreme Court Orders Protection For Assaulted Model Town Lawyer Pankaj Sharma
The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday ordered immediate police protection for Pankaj Sharma, a Supreme Court lawyer who was assaulted at his home within the Model Town police station jurisdiction in Delhi, and directed the Delhi Police to submit a status report on allegations that the victim was threatened to withdraw his case.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant directed that the status report be filed by an officer not below the rank of deputy commissioner of police by Thursday. The bench also directed the police to ensure no harm is caused to Sharma, given the serious nature of the allegations.
The court's intervention followed an urgent mention by Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president and senior advocate Vikas Singh. Singh alleged that the police were not conducting a fair investigation despite Sharma suffering grievous head injuries requiring eight stitches.
According to the petition, the assault occurred last week, and an FIR was registered on July 11 at the Model Town police station. However, Singh stated that the assailants returned the very next day, on July 12, to threaten Sharma and his family again.
In his petition, Sharma contended that the Delhi Police initially refused to register an FIR. When they finally did, the police allegedly registered it under offences of simple assault and house trespass instead of invoking provisions for attempt to murder and grievous hurt under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The petition alleged that the police acted under the influence of the accused, who is reportedly close to a local politician. Sharma argued that this inaction violated his Right to Life and Personal Liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.
Attorney General R Venkataramani, who was present in court, described the incident as serious and supported the concerns raised by the SCBA. The SCBA had previously passed a resolution condemning the assault and sent a letter to the Delhi Police commissioner on July 13, which went unheeded.
