Patna high court advocate’s murder: Chief Justice summons IG, DM

PATNA: Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi of the Patna high court summoned top officials, including Patna zonal IG Nayyar Hasnain Khan and DM Kumar Ravi after the murder of advocate Jitendra Kumar Singh (52) on Wednesday sparked huge protest and traffic jam in the city.
Angry over the murder, hundreds of irate high court advocates blocked Bailey Road and brought traffic to a grinding halt in the area.The high court’s routine works were also affected as the lawyers abstained from attending court hearings in protest. There was chock-a-block on all the link roads adjoining the Bailey Road as commuters took alternate routes to reach their destinations following protests near the high court.
Interestingly, when the officials were present in the court of CJ Sahi, ADG (headquarters) S K Singhal was holding a presser at around 1.30pm to tell reporters that the crime rate had gone down in the state since January this year.
The advocate’s killing was second such daring act by the criminals in Patna in less than 48 hours of a police constable’s murder during a raid on Monday night.
Khan submitted before the court that a 10-member special investigation team (SIT) was formed to investigate the case. DIG (central range) Rajesh Kumar and traffic SP PN Mishra were also present in the court.
Police did not allow the family members of the deceased lawyer to take the body to the high court for other advocates to pay tributes. The police feared it might fuel the agitation and worsen the situation.
The blockade was removed only after senior advocate Yogesh Chandra Verma made an appeal to them to calm down. The blockade continued for more than three hours and was removed at around 6pm.
Verma, chairman of the coordination committee of all three associations of the Patna high court, told TOI over phone that they demanded from the government a job to any of the family members of deceased advocate.
“Investigation and trial should be completed within stipulated time period and government should now roll out law for protection of lawyers which already exists in Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh,” he said.
Verma said when he informed the Chief Justice about the murder at around 11am, he directed the registrar general to contact the DGP for details of the case.