BCI Chairperson Intervenes: Senior Advocate Manan Kumar Mishra Demands Stern Action in Barabanki Lawyer Assault

(By Syed Ali Taher Abedi)

Delhi,15, January,2026- In a shocking incident that has stirred outrage across the legal fraternity and the public at large, Advocate Ratnesh Shukla was brutally assaulted by toll plaza staff at Gotona Bara on the Lucknow–Sultanpur highway in Barabanki district.

The incident, reported to have occurred on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, allegedly witnessed from a dispute over toll payment.

According to accounts, the toll staff surrounded and chased the advocate before subjecting him to severe physical assault and verbal abuse.

Police personnel later arrived at the scene and shifted the injured lawyer to the Community Health Centre for medical treatment.

The assault, captured in a widely circulated video, shows multiple toll employees thrashing the advocate, compelling him to apologise even as the beating continued.

The public humiliation of a member of the Bar, played out in full view, has triggered widespread condemnation and raised serious concerns about safety and dignity in public spaces.

It has been reported that a case has been registered on the basis of the advocate’s complaint and that three employees of the toll plaza have been detained for questioning.

However, the present status of arrests, the specific penal provisions invoked, and the scope of custodial, forensic, and other investigative steps undertaken have not been disclosed with the degree of clarity and assurance that the seriousness of the incident demands.

An assault on an advocate at a public utility is not merely an offence against an individual.

It constitutes a direct affront to the rule of law and, in effect, an act of intimidation against the justice delivery system itself.

Advocates, as officers of the Court, are indispensable to the administration of justice, and a public display of violence coupled with a forced apology has an undeniable chilling effect on the Bar as well as on public confidence in lawful and constitutional processes.

The incident calls for immediate and decisive action under the prevailing criminal law framework, namely the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.

Such cases require prompt registration of cognizable offences, swift preservation of evidence, identification of all participants, and timely, lawful arrests wherever prima facie involvement is established, so that deterrence is effective and justice is not frustrated by delay.

The incident occurred at a toll plaza equipped with CCTV cameras, a control room, lane-wise barrier logs, and transaction records.

This evidence is highly perishable, prone to routine overwriting, deletion, or tampering unless the entire electronic ecosystem is promptly seized, forensically imaged, and preserved under a strict chain of custody.

In these circumstances, I respectfully urge Your Lordship to take administrative cognizance, direct the State authorities to act with utmost urgency, professionalism, and transparency, and call for a time-bound action taken report from the concerned police authorities.

Immediate steps, strictly in accordance with law, may kindly be ensured forthwith.

Prayer for Urgent Judicial & Administrative Intervention

I. Registration and Curative Measures: The FIR particulars, including the Case Crime Number and provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, must be brought on record forthwith.

Any discrepancy in the invocation of penal sections failing to reflect the true gravity of the assault must be corrected through prompt legal amendment.

II. Custodial Measures and Deterrence: Where prima facie material exists, the investigative agency must effectuate immediate arrest and remand to forestall the risk of absconding, witness intimidation, or the tampering of evidence. Such steps must transcend mere detention for questioning to ensure meaningful custodial investigation.

III. Preservation of Perishable Evidence: Authorities must ensure the immediate seizure and forensic preservation of all electronic trails. This includes, inter alia, multi-angle CCTV footage, DVR/NVR storage, FASTag transaction logs, and duty rosters.

Directives must be issued to toll operators to cease all overwriting or deletion of data until forensic imaging is complete.

IV. Constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT): To ensure impartiality, a Special Investigation Team led by a senior officer should be constituted.

The SIT shall be accountable for a time-bound investigation, including the prompt recording of witness statements and the implementation of protective measures for the Advocate and his family.

V. Application of Special Statutes: Given the systemic impact and implications for public order, the competent authority must examine—subject to constitutional safeguards—the applicability of the U.P. Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, 1986.

The gravity of this assault on a member of the Bar must not be relegated to a “routine” criminal investigation.

VI. Action Taken Report (ATR): In view of the perishable nature of the evidence, a comprehensive Action Taken Report is requested within 48 hours, detailing the status of FIR registration, forensic seizures, and the custodial status of the accused.