NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court Women Lawyers Forum (DHCWLF) has condemned the Co-ordination Committee of the District Court Bar Associations for going on a one-day protest against the recent judgment that convicted Rajiv Khosla, former president of Delhi High Court Bar Association, for assaulting a woman in 1994. DHCWLF has written a letter to the president of the High Court Bar Association.
The Co-ordination Committee of the District Court Bar Associations went on a strike on Monday against the verdict of a metropolitan magistrate judge who convicted Khosla on October 29 for assaulting complainant Sujata Kohli in 1994.
“We express our grave disappointment in the conduct of the Coordination Committee of the District Court Bar Associations calling for a strike to oppose the judgment of the CMM Central in the matter of State vs Rajeev Khosla, where the complainant was also a lawyer herself. Because this indicates they are siding up with a male lawyer against a women lawyer,” said the letter. In its order, the court had noted that her allegation of being assaulted by Khosla and the threat that she will not be allowed to practice from Tis Hazari Court was “truthful and creditworthy”.
The allegations were that in July 1994, when Khosla was the Secretary of Delhi Bar Association (DBA), he asked Kohli to join a seminar and on her refusal, threatened her that all facilities from the Bar Association would be withdrawn and she would be dispossessed of her seat as well.
Kohli had filed a civil suit on August 1, 1994, seeking injunction but despite that, her table and chair were removed from their spot. Just before the civil judge could inspect the spot, Khosla, along with a mob of 40-50 lawyers, allegedly surrounded her, she claimed. According to her complaint, Khosla pulled her hair, dragged her, twisted her arms, uttered filthy abuses, and threatened her.