Lawyers go on strike in Bihar over colleague's arrest

Hundreds of lawyers in Bihar on Wednesday abstained from court work to protest the arrest of one of their colleagues on April 19.

The Bihar State Bar Council gave a call to advocates across the state to abstain from judicial work on May 2 to protest against the arrest of lawyer Anil Kumar Singh by the district authorities in Samastipur district.

Singh was arrested for charging a fee of Rs 30 for drafting an application, which the Deputy Development Commissioner considered as a bribe.

Council chairman Baleshwar Prasad Sharma said, "We have demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to Singh for the harassment and wrongful arrest. We have also sought the transfer of officials responsible for it."

The lawyers will abstain from judicial work till the Samastipur District Magistrate and the DDC are transferred out of the district, he added.

An 11-member team of the council will visit Samastipur to inquire into the matter and will submit a report to the apex body for further action, he said.