Slamming lawyers for their “unwarranted protest” on Wednesday that stalled traffic for three-four hours in Shimla, Naresh Chauhan, Principal Advisor (Media) to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, today said they had no right to stop vehicles and force the police to issue challans.
“Lawyers know law better than all of us but what they did was illegal. What power do they have to forcibly stop vehicles, ask for permits and force police to issue challans,” said Chauhan.
The police have already filed an FIR against several lawyers who participated in the protest.
Chauhan also questioned the need for such a massive protest, raising slogans against the CM and the government and causing so much inconvenience to the public when the matter was resolved within 10 minutes at a meeting with the CM. “Why did the lawyers resort to demonstrations without using the channel of dialogue first?” Chauhan asked. The lawyers, though, claim that they had informed the government that they were being warned by the police not to use the sealed road without a permit. According to them, lawyers were allowed to use the road until now without the permit.
Chauhan said the police had been asked to check the vehicles plying on the sealed and restricted roads following complaints of misuse. “The police have been checking the permits on sealed roads without issuing challans. Lawyers also need to have a permit, there can’t be any pick and choose,” said Chauhan.
He further said the permits could be granted to limited people having proper justification for its use. There are a number of people who use the road to reach their home or business places, but everyone’s request for a permit still can’t be accommodated. “It can’t be opened up for just one category of people. The CM made it clear that he would have to open the roads for all in case there was undue pressure,” said Chauhan.
