Sanitation staff protest: Ex-judge to probe allegations of assault on lawyers

THE Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered the setting up of a one-man commission under Justice V Parthiban, retired judge of the court, to inquire into allegations of assault on 13 lawyers and law students by police during the midnight arrest of sanitary workers on August 13.

- R SIVAKUMAR @ Chennai

A division bench of Justices MS Ramesh and V Lakshminarayanan passed the order while hearing the habeas corpus petitions filed by lawyers and law students who alleged that they were illegally detained by police and subjected to custodial torture.

"This certainly requires an independent inquiry," the bench said, adding that an allegation of assault made against a police officer cannot be investigated by the very same police, who have registered the FIR, as there is a possibility of partiality or bias.