Mumbai: Borivli court advocates go on one-day strike to protest ‘kidnapping’ of fellow lawyer

Lawyer Pravin Dongardive in conversation with the female accused and the fruit vendor who had brokered the deal between them for the transfer of ration card

After a lawyer practising in the Borivli court alleged he was kidnapped by his clients, the Borivli Advocates Bar Association observed a one-day strike on Wednesday. A kin of the accused, who belong to the lower-middle class, claimed that the lawyer, Pravin Dongardive, cooked up the story when they had demanded a refund for the services that he didn't deliver.

The association urgently called on the government to expedite the implementation of the Advocate Protection Bill, emphasising the crucial need for enhanced security measures for legal professionals. The president, secretary and other members of the Borivali Advocates Bar Association strongly protested against Dongardive's kidnapping. To express their solidarity with the kidnapped brethren, no lawyer appeared in court on Wednesday for the arrested accused or any other case proceedings.

Cops rescue lawyer
The Borivli police on Tuesday night registered a case against the accused under various charges of kidnapping and assault. The police successfully ‘rescued' Dongardive from their custody. While one of the accused Vishal Sapkal has been arrested, the others, including a woman, were allowed to go with warnings, taking into consideration legal constraints related to arresting women in the evening. Sapkal was produced before the court and he was remanded in police custody for one day.

Pravin Dongardive

Dongardive, 41, allegedly claimed to have been kidnapped from the court premises by his clients around 6 pm on Tuesday. Dongardive contacted the association secretary advocate Surendra Landge informing him of the abduction and being held hostage by his clients who demanded a refund.

Landge engaged with the alleged kidnappers, requesting Dongardive's release. He suggested the clients come to court to discuss and collect any owed money directly from Dongardive. When the clients refused to leave without the money, Landge and other association members, including president advocate Rajesh More approached Borivli police station and informed the duty officer about the incident.

The officer directed the alleged kidnappers to come to the police station with their legal representative. However, they persisted in demanding money, leading to the involvement of senior officers. A dedicated team, including lawyers from the Police Team Association, was sent to Charkop to secure the lawyer's release. Dongardive was successfully rescued from Charkop village and the accused were arrested.

Tied and beaten
Dongardive stated that he was forcibly abducted in an auto and taken to Charkop village, where he was tied to a chair and beaten by five to six individuals. Managing to break free, he ran away and called his fellow lawyer for help.

Sapkal's aunt Savita Lokhande refuted all allegations. She claimed that Dongardive took cash from her sister for transferring and making a ration card for their new residence in Charkop village. Vasant Gavai, a fruit vendor and an agent, introduced Dongardive to her sister, promising the transfer of the ration card to the Charkop address. Despite payment of Rs 15,000, no progress was made, leading to suspicions of deception.

Without making any progress in the transfer of the ration card, Dongardive sought more money. In the conversation that ensued, Lokhande's sister and other family members grew suspicious and sought a refund. Other people came forward and told that they too have been duped by the agent on the promise to get their work done in government offices.

Lokhande said that the agents returned Rs 8,000 to others, but when they asked Dongardive for a reimbursement, he declined and claimed to his fellow lawyers that he had been kidnapped. A recording of the conversation and supporting witnesses exist, she said. However, due to pressure from the lawyers the police registered a case against them.

A statement by the Borivli Advocate Bar Association's secretary read, "We express deep concern regarding the rising number of attacks on lawyers and the prevailing incidents. We urgently call upon the government to expedite the implementation of the Advocate Protection Bill. For any lawyer facing allegations, it is imperative that clients submit a written complaint to the Bar Council. The Bar Council will conduct a thorough investigation and if wrongdoing is established, appropriate actions will be taken."

Advocate Rajeev Desai and Jaywant Patil said, "For every person, whether he is a lawyer, police, doctor, journalist, or others, if someone commits a mistake or commits a crime, there is a provision in the law for which a complaint can be made against him. But no one has the right to take the law into their own hands." "We have registered the case and arrested one accused. Further investigation is underway," said Senior Police Inspector Ninad Sawant, Borivli police station.