Exclusive: Delhi senior advocate Maninder Singh said he would take legal action against the Delhi police, which detained him at a police station yesterday alleging that he was a supporter of anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare. Police released him two hours later after intervention from a court registrar and other advocates who proved that Singh was not connected to the protests and was making his way to argue before a tribunal, where proceedings had to be abandoned.

Singh of Singh & Singh Advocates was taken to Channakyapuri Police Station at around 4:30 pm yesterday (25 August), as he was walking on foot to argue a matter in the Telecom Disputes Settlement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) after police prevented him from parking his car near the tribunal due to the barricades they had erected to prevent Hazare supporters protesting near the prime minister’s residence in Delhi.

Singh told Legally India: “I was not part of any such agitation – the court is behind the office of the prime minister. Because they did not allow my car, so I was walking down.”

“I will take some action against them [the Delhi police],” Singh added, noting that he had two or three different available remedies, including initiating criminal contempt proceedings “if you cause obstruction in the administration of justice or prohibited me from attending to my duties”.

Singh called advocate on record Navin Chawla who was set to appear in the same TDSAT matter, who then petitioned the tribunal’s chairman and former Supreme Court judge SB Sinha that all proceedings before the TDSAT should be halted and postponed to avoid a similar incident recurring.

The tribunal’s registrar, Chawla and other advocates then went to the police station where they persuaded the police that Singh was not connected to the Anna Hazare protests.

Photo by Ramesh Lalwani