The Bar Council of India (BCI) has issued a press release expressing its solidarity with the police and armed forces in relation to the ongoing Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests taking place across the country.
The release signed off by BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra appeals to all lawyers, Bar Associations and Councils, and student bodies of NLUs and other law colleges to play a prominent role in ensuring that law and order is maintained throughout the country.
It is further stated that if anyone is involved in any kind of violence, he/she must be brought before the administration for further action.
The release also reads,
"The Leaders of the Bar and young students are requested to take an active role in diffusing the disturbances and violence in the country: We are to convince the people and the illiterate ignorant mass, who are being misled by some so-called leaders (for serving their own political ambitions) the matter with regard to the Citizenship Amendment Act is under consideration of our Supreme Court, therefore everyone should await the decision of the Apex Court."BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra
The release further asserts that any damage to public and private properties, as well as attacks on police personnel, would be viewed very seriously. The legal fraternity will not tolerate humiliation of the police or defence forces, the BCI has stated.
Bar associations and student bar associations should deprecate any sort of provocative speech against any political leader, the release concludes.
A Delhi Court yesterday remanded to judicial custody fifteen persons arrested in the aftermath of the protests against the CAA at Daryaganj. Meanwhile, various parts of the country have been witnessing protests against the CAA and National Registry of Citizens (NRC). It has also been reported that the death toll at these protests has reached 15 in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
[Read the BCI press release]