CUTTACK: The Orissa high court on Monday revoked the state government's decision to reinstate the three policemen, who were suspended for allegedly assaulting an advocate. The three policemen were suspended for misconduct after they had allegedly thrashed advocate Debi Prasad Patnaik on August 28 at a busy market place here. This had triggered the lawyers' strike which is on for more than two months.The high court deferred hearing on petition on the lawyers-police dispute to Tuesday.Meanwhile, the Orissa High Court Bar Association on Monday decided to continue their ceasework, launched on August 29, till Wednesday as the Crime Branch (CB) once again failed to submit an inquiry report.The CB is probing the alleged attack by three cops on advocate Patnaik, which sparked off the lawyers' stir.Bar association president Srikant Nayak said, "According to the decision of all the bar members, we have decided to continue the ceasework. General body meeting will be convened on Wednesday and a decision taken regarding the strike." While the stand-off between police and the agitating advocates continued with the matter being pending before the court, the state government had on November 3 reinstated the suspended policemen."In our considered opinion, during pendency of this case the state government ought not to have done that without the permission of the court," said an order passed by a division bench headed by chief justice K S Jhaveri . The order revoking the suspension of the policemen is put in abeyance, the HC said.In a related development, Justice C R Dash of the HC, who is monitoring the police investigations of all the criminal cases arising out of the police-lawyer stand-off, proposed a compromise formula to end the two-and-a-half-month-old row. The proposal, it seemed, was acceptable to the lawyers. Although, the details are not yet known, a source said Dash had suggested summoning the policemen concerned and the advocate to the court to settle the dispute.According to the bar association, director general of police R P Sharma had invited the advocates for a meeting on Sunday to resolve the dispute."We discussed the matter with police and a decision will be taken subsequently," added Nayak. The CB has prayed before the high court to give six weeks to investigate the matter, but the high court rejected the plea. Three lawyers were suspended by the high court bar association on November 2 for allegedly breaking the unity of the lawyers following the lawyer- police dispute.( With inputs from agencies)

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