'Peaceful dissent is constitutional right': 650+ lawyers back CJP protesters, condemn police action
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) and several members of Delhi's legal fraternity have strongly condemned the police action against students during the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest on July 20, calling it an assault on constitutional values and demanding accountability.
The SCBA passed a resolution seeking an immediate, impartial and time-bound inquiry into the police action, alleging that several students and lawyers were injured during the crackdown.
The association described the use of force against peaceful demonstrators as ‘excessive and disproportionate’ and urged authorities to identify those responsible, provide medical assistance to the injured and ensure such incidents are not repeated.
In a separate representation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, SCBA president Vikas Singh sought a judicial inquiry into both the police action and the alleged irregularities in national-level examinations.
He termed the developments a ‘dual administrative collapse’ affecting constitutional democracy and called for time-bound investigations.
More than 650 lawyers, including senior advocates Indira Jaising, Raju Ramachandran, Sanjay Hegde, Huzefa Ahmadi, Rebecca M John and Gopal Subramanium, also issued a statement backing the students.
The signatories stressed that peaceful protest is protected under Articles 19(1)(a) and 19(1)(b) of the Constitution and said any restriction must meet the tests of legality, necessity and proportionality.
Meanwhile, lawyers providing free legal aid alleged that police failed to disclose the names and whereabouts of detained students or provide copies of FIRs, delaying legal assistance.
Advocate Raghavi Shukla said around 90 students had been released from multiple police stations since Monday, but locating detainees remained difficult due to lack of official information.
Another lawyer, Charu Sinha, alleged that several students were shifted between police stations, complicating efforts to trace them and provide legal support.