On April 8, one advocate Chandan Choubey was handcuffed by Police in Jamshedpur while dealing with Ram Navami agitators’ protest against the alleged recovery of a Ram Navami flag carrying banned meat.

The incident has evoked a sharp response from lawyers who boycotted the civil court in Jamshedpur on Wednesday. The Bar Association chief informed the Chief District Judge about the protest launched by lawyers against the police on the charge of handcuffing the lawyer Chandan Choubey.

Even the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has been reportedly informed and the opposition BJP has lambasted the Hemant Soren government for meting out inhumane treatment to BJP workers and the lawyer.

Given the criticism unleashed against the state government, the police personnel remained mute.

Notably, the Supreme Court in 1995 held that minimal freedom of movement cannot be cut down by the application of handcuffs or other hoops. It had categorically stated that the handcuffing of even “prisoners” without judicial consent was illegal.

This apex court’s directions were ignored by the Jamshedpur police.

According to the top court, handcuffing is legal only if the arrestee is: (a) involved in serious non-bailable offenses (b) previously convicted of a crime, of desperate character, likely to commit suicide, or likely to attempt to escape. The use of handcuffs and the reasons for their use must be recorded.

Due to the lawyer's protest against handcuffing their colleague, the civil court in Jamshedpur remained paralyzed. As many as 250 cases were put on hold 

Jamshedpur Bar Association Joint Secretary Rajesh Tiwari claimed that lawyer Chandan Choubey had gone to meet the SSP to request him not to nab and arrest innocent Ram Navami agitators who were protesting against the alleged recovery of one Ram Navami flag rolled with banned meat.

“But the police arrested him( lawyer Chandan Choubey)with other BJP workers/ supporters and sent him to jail after handcuffing him”, said Mishra.