Shimla, June 4
Shimla Police have registered an FIR against eight advocates, including office-bearers of the Bar Association, for allegedly organizing and leading a protest in a restricted area near the State Secretariat and obstructing vehicular movement without prior permission from the district administration.
According to the FIR lodged at East Shimla Police Station on June 2, the advocates were part of a larger agitation against the closure of the Shilli Chowk route and the issuance of traffic challans to lawyers using restricted roads in the state capital.
The complaint filed by Station House Officer (SHO) states that police personnel deployed for law and order duties at Oakover received information around 11:10 am that a group of advocates from the Himachal Pradesh High Court was proceeding towards the Chief Minister’s official residence while raising slogans.
Additional police personnel and Quick Response Team (QRT) members were subsequently deployed to the area.
The FIR alleges that after gathering near Oakover, the advocates marched towards the State Secretariat.
Police officials reportedly requested the protesters to proceed towards Samvad Bhawan, but they allegedly refused and staged a sit-in outside the Secretariat’s main gate.
According to police, around 150 to 160 advocates participated in the demonstration, which continued from approximately 12 noon to 2:30 pm.
The protesters allegedly raised slogans against the government and blocked traffic movement on the Secretariat road, causing inconvenience to commuters and disrupting normal movement in the restricted zone.
The FIR names Bar Association President Hamind Chandel, senior advocates D.S. Kainth, Sheetal Vyas, Vidushi, Rajiv Sarkek, Neeraj Gupta, Rakesh Manu Chauhan and HKS Thakur as among those leading the protest.
Police have booked the accused under Sections 126(2), 189(2) and 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, alleging unlawful assembly, disobedience of lawful orders and obstruction of public movement in a notified restricted area.
The case comes amid an ongoing dispute between advocates and the district administration over access to restricted roads in Shimla.
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Lawyers have maintained that the traffic restrictions hamper their ability to attend proceedings at the Himachal Pradesh High Court, District Courts, Finance Commissioner and other government offices located within the restricted zone.
Meanwhile, the district administration has granted temporary relaxation to advocates for using the Shilli Chowk route and constituted a joint committee comprising representatives of the High Court, District Bar Association and administration to find a permanent solution to the issue.
Further investigation in the case is underway.
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