Lucknow, Dec 8 (IANS): The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has expressed serious concern over the fact that a good number of lawyers indulge in “property dealings instead of handling cases in the courts”.

“Such lawyers also put their signboards at the disputed properties in an illegal manner and grab land,” the court observed.

A bench of Justices Sangeeta Chandra and Justice N.K. Johari on Thursday directed the state government to take strict action against such erring lawyers and asked the Bar Council of India to suggest ways to check such men in black coats and save the dignity of the legal profession.

The bench has passed the order in the course of hearing of about a dozen writ petitions, including the petition filed by local lawyer Prashant Singh Gaur in 2010.

A division bench headed by then Justice Uma Nath Singh (now retired) had directed the CBI, STF, CB-CID and local police in 2010 to check the “anarchy and hooliganism of erring lawyers in the civil court, Lucknow”.

The present bench asked about the status of the action taken in the matter so far and fixed January 2 as the next date of hearing.

The bench has also directed the commissioner of police (CP), Lucknow, to ensure that affidavits are filed before it about the action taken in the matters which are placed before it in the writ petitions.

Meanwhile, the commissioner of police apprised the bench that he has constituted a Special Cell to be headed by a very senior IPS officer to look into the matters of erring lawyers, in case complaints are made to the police against them.