New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Bar Association has asked its members to wear black ribbons in court today, 12 October, in solidarity with lawyers who were manhandled during the 10 October protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
In a notice dated 11 October, the association’s Executive Committee said the ribbons would also register its strong protest against the excessive and disproportionate use of force by the police against members of the legal fraternity. Members have been asked to co-operate with the call.
What happened on 10 October
A group of lawyers protesting outside the Supreme Court, demanding the CEC’s resignation, was detained on Saturday for nearly two hours, according to reports. Lawyers marching from the Supreme Court towards Jantar Mantar were also detained, along with student activists. The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) passed a resolution and wrote to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, seeking his urgent intervention over what it described as excessive force against senior and young advocates, particularly women advocates.
What the Delhi High Court Bar Association said
The notice follows a resolution dated 10 October, in which the association condemned the detention of lawyers and the alleged excessive use of force during what it called peaceful protests. The resolution said video footage showed lawyers, including Senior Advocates, being physically dragged by police. It called the treatment “a grave affront to their dignity and constitutional rights”, and said maintaining public order cannot be a pretext for arbitrary detention or excessive force. According to reports, the association has also called for an impartial inquiry.
The notice lists N. Hariharan, Senior Advocate, as President, Sacchin Puri, Senior Advocate, as Vice-President and Vikram Singh Panwar as Honorary Secretary.
