COIMBATORE: The continuing boycott of courts by lawyers in Coimbatore over a fracas with the police has led to a peculiar situation for law enforcers and suspected criminals. While scores of under-trials arrested for petty offences are unable to apply for bail, police officers have not been able to produce arrested criminals in the court for obtaining judicial or custodial remand.With Deepavali just around the corner, family members of some of those jailed are filing bail applications on their own hoping that the latter would be set free just in time for the festive celebrations at home. Lawyers have been on a protest for nearly a fortnight demanding the arrest of some police personnel who had allegedly assaulted advocate Anandeeswaran in the Thudiyalur police station. Sources in the judicial magistrates’ court here said that several family members of remand prisoners have over the past week been filing bail applications on a white paper with “From” and “To” addresses. “It’s all in layman’s language. The applications are almost like a letter addressed to the judge simply saying that the police had booked the accused on false charges. There are no strong points to substantiate their claims. During arguments they are unable to present their case cogently. Most fail to answer questions put forth by the judge,” said a court staff. Since most petitioners who have moved bail on behalf of their kith and kin are uneducated, the judges too are unable to take a quick decision on their plea. “Only in a few deserving cases, bail is granted. Most family members are not even aware of the sections under which their relative has been arrested,” the court staff explained. M Kalairasi of Kinathukadavu who had come to the Central Prison to meet her brother Kumar laments, “My brother was arrested for assaulting a neighbour during a quarrel. For the past two weeks he is in jail and no advocate is coming forward to file his bail application citing the boycott.” On the other hand, police personnel are hesitant to enter the court premises to avoid a confrontation with the lawyers. “We are now producing arrested persons at the houses of judicial magistrates for remand,” says a police inspector. Similarly, the remand of prisoners is being extended through videoconferencing for the past week. “When a prisoner is taken to the court for extension of remand, usually he can see his family members in the court premises. Now since they are being remanded through videoconferencing, they are obviously disappointed,” said a prison warder requesting anonymity.
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