Lawyers take their seats in the new building after breaking the lock. Picture by Uma Shankar Dubey

Jamshedpur, Aug. 9: Forced to remain outside for a week, lawyers today broke the lock of the new Bar Association building and made a dash to occupy the seats.

But the Jamshedpur Bar Association, which threatened to take disciplinary action against those who broke in, retaliated later in the night by again locking the main entrance of the building. “Till tables and chairs are arranged in all the three floors, the entrance will remain locked. We are planning to open the lock next Monday,” said association secretary Sambhu Dayal.

A near-stampede broke out around noon as some of the men in black tried to enter the building with chairs and tables.

JBA president M.P. Bannerji and Dayal were not present when the lock was broken.

The Sitaramdera police, who were camping on the civil court premises from early morning, stood mute spectators.

Devender Singh, one of the lawyers who broke in, said they had no other option as work was being affected. “The JBA officials had been opening the lock on their own in the night to arrange tables and chairs. I think the lawyers have done the right thing breaking the lock,” he said.

The rush was for the ground floor and the one above while there were no takers for the second floor. Most lawyers who were allotted seats on the first floor complained that their chairs had been grabbed.

According to a lawyer, the JBA had announced that the lock would be opened on Saturday. It was rescheduled to Monday and again deferred to August 13. “The Bar officials were intentionally postponing the date because they had their own axe to grind,” he added.

Lawyers said the Bar Association has so far not been able to arrange the furniture. “The Bar had taken Rs 1,000 from about 450 lawyers for tables and chairs. But till date most lawyers have not got their tables and chairs,” said a lawyer.

JBA secretary Dayal said an inquiry would be conducted into the break-in. “It is the handiwork of some trouble-makers. We will hold an inquiry into today’s incident. The guilty lawyers will be expelled from the Bar membership. We will also ask the Bar Council to cancel their enrolment,” he said.

Asked what the Bar plans to do about the seating arrangement, Dayal said: “Seats have been allotted on the basis of names of lawyers on the vakalatnama. The agency which has been given the responsibility make the furniture is yet to supply them.”