A judge of the Madras High Court was among several persons injured while a police station was set ablaze as stone-pelting lawyers and the police who resorted to lathicharge clashed on Thursday inside the court premises which turned into a virtual battlefield.Justice A.C. Arumugaperumal Adityan, one of the judges deputed by the Acting Chief Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya to help restore order, was injured in the stone throwing inside the historic century-old premises and admitted to hospital.
Police resorted to lathicharge to quell the violence in which an unspecified number of police personnel and advocates including some women were injured, some of them seriously. Some injured lawyers had blood streaming over their faces.
Four-wheelers parked inside the High Court premises were damaged while some two-wheelers and bicycles set ablaze in the clashes. A police outpost located in the premises was also targeted and set on fire.
The trouble arose when police who were in full strength anticipating trouble began arresting some 13 lawyers in connection with the attack on Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy in the court on Tuesday sparking off the protest by the advocates who resented the police action.
A large number of advocates started pelting stones at the police prompting the police to wield their batons. Stones were also hurled at the advocates.
A large number of advocates started pelting stones at the police prompting the police to wield their batons. Stones were also hurled at the advocates.
The lawyers rushed to the chambers of the Acting Chief Justice and demanded that action be taken against police.
