Jabalpur(PTI): An alleged suicide by a lawyer triggered a violent protest on the premises of the Madhya Pradesh High Court's Jabalpur bench here on Friday, police said.

The State Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh (SBCMP) appealed to the lawyers to abstain from work on Saturday, alleging that Anurag Sahu, the deceased, was being harassed by some officials and fellow advocates.

Sahu allegedly hanged himself at his house after pleading a case in the high court in the afternoon, a police official said.

Following his death, a group of lawyers staged a protest on the high court premises and allegedly set fire to the chamber of a lawyer who had appeared against Sahu in the court, he said.

Police were forced to cane-charge the protestors to restore order and some policemen sustained injuries during the incident, Superintendent of Police Siddharth Bahuguna told PTI.

Asked if the deceased lawyer had left behind a suicide note, the SP said the matter will be probed.

In the evening, the SBCMP appealed to the lawyers to stay away from court proceedings across the state on Saturday to protest against advocate Sahu's suicide.

Council's vice chairman R K Singh Saini claimed in a statement that Sahu was facing harassment from some officers and advocates.

The Bar Council will also write to the Chief Minister demanding action against the policemen who "mercilessly lathi-charged the advocates", he said.

 

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Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.

In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.

Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.

Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.

According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.

He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.

He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.

Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.

He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.

Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.

He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.