Lawyer Tahar Singh after his release. (PTI)

Chandigarh, July 24: A lawyer declared insane by a high court judge without a medical examination was driven halfway to an Agra asylum by the country’s top investigative agency till relief came early this morning.

The CBI was forced to turn the car back near Karnal at 3am after a larger bench, formed hurriedly last night at lawyers’ pleadings, stayed the order by Justice Uma Nath Singh of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Lawyer Tahar Singh was released today and the bar association boycotted the judge, with lawyers squatting outside his court to prevent hearings.

Yesterday morning, Justice Singh had taken suo motu notice of a July 6 police complaint by Tahar’s wife Sujata, charging her husband of 27 years with domestic violence. The judge said he understood that “even in the Bar, his (Tahar’s) conducts are aggressively violent. This court is, prima facie, of the opinion that (the) accused is a worst case of mental disorder”.

As “the police appeared to be playing soft”, the judge directed the CBI superintendent, Chandigarh, “to immediately take the accused in custody, and take him away from Chandigarh to admit him in the Mental Hospital, Agra”.

Earlier this year, a Jaipur court had issued an arrest warrant against Hollywood actor Richard Gere for a peck on Shilpa Shetty’s cheek at an AIDS programme in Delhi. The video footage had convinced the judge that the act was “highly sexually erotic”.

In January, judges at a Gwalior court had laid down that all accused must appear barefoot after a convict had hurled a shoe at the bench.

Justice Singh thought Tahar’s case deserved a CBI inquiry. He ordered the files to “be immediately handed over to the CBI by Chandigarh police” and the interrogation “be done at Delhi or Agra”.

“It is also learnt from the Bar that the accused creates nuisance and commotion wherever he goes with the help of some anti-social elements on the strength of some vested interests who finance him in doing so,” his order said.

Bar members denied having told the judge any such thing about their colleague.

Sujata, a college lecturer, said she was “shocked to learn he was arrested”.

“He is not at all insane. I want him to be dealt with honour on the domestic violence issue. I don’t want him tried on false charges,” she said.

A relative said the couple had been close to a reconciliation. “They are living separately, but Tahar receives food cooked by Sujata every now and then.”