4 lawyers held for rioting

BANGALORE: Police arrested four advocates including the general secretary of Bangalore Advocates’ Association, A P Ranganath in connection with Friday’s incidents in which advocates assaulted and pelted stones at journalists, policemen and public. The other arrested advocates have been identified as Somesh, Arun Naik and Santhosh. In a late evening press conference, city police commissioner B G Jyothiprakash Mirji confirmed that the police had arrested the four advocates based on substantial evidence they had collected on their role in rioting. “They were arrested a few minutes ago and their backgrounds are being verified,” Mirji said.Asked whether there was any political pressure behind the arrest of Ranganath, who is closely associated with the JD(S), Mirji denied it and maintained that there was substantial evidence that Ranganath had provoked his fellow advocates to attack media and police. The arrested advocates, except Somesh, were produced before the Sixth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Churi Khan at his residence at National Games Village in Koramangala late on Saturday night. Though the accused filed a bail application, the Magistrate adjourned the hearing to Monday and remanded them in judicial custody till March 16. However, the accused requested the Magistrate to permit them to get admitted to a hospital citing health reasons. The Magistrate agreed and directed the police to take them to Victoria Hospital. It is learnt that Somesh would also be produced before the magistrate late on Saturday night. Mirji added that other advocates would be arrested soon and special police teams were gathering information on their whereabouts.Mirji informed that the car driver of High Court Justice K L Manjunath, Jagadeeshaiah, had filed a complaint that he was attacked and robbed of his valuables by a group of 15 advocates. “Jagadeeshaiah stated that he had brought the judge to the City Civil Court premises on Friday and the judge was talking to other judges when around 15-20 advocates set fire to vehicles and assaulted him. He was also allegedly robbed of his gold chain, mobile phone and cash of `1,900,” Mirji said.