Lawyers have been a saving grace in the brutal crackdown by the Delhi police and Uttar Pradesh police department on those protesting the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR). They have been active in getting the illegally detained students, minors and activists justice by constantly being on their toes to get them out of police custody.
Yesterday, calling out the unconstitutionality of the CAA-NPR-NRC, advocates gathered to protest the policies of the government and condemn the police attacks on peaceful protesters under the banner ‘Lawyers for Democracy’.
Delhi: Supreme Court lawyers hold a protest march from SC to Jantar Mantar, against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR). pic.twitter.com/xtULg8BKFa
— ANI (@ANI) January 14, 2020
Today, Lawyers march to protest against CAA-NRC
Will the highly educated BJP politicians now also call lawyers as uneducated? pic.twitter.com/lw5A2hpBjl
— Dhruv Rathee (@dhruv_rathee) January 14, 2020
They also denounced police repression and the “assault on the Constitution” in their demonstration that began at 3:30 pm with senior advocate of the SC, Sanjay Hegde reading out the Preamble. Thereon, convener of Lawyers for Democracy, Somdutt Sharma, led the protest with lawyers holding placards that read, “Save Democratic Institutions”, “Take Back CAA”, “Stop NPR” and “Stop misusing Section 144” among others.
The march was supported by PV Surendranath, General Secretary All India Lawyers Union and senior advocates Salman Khurshid, Ashwani Kumar, Surya Rajapan, among others, joined the march too.
Sanjay Hegde addressed the gathering saying, “We gave ourselves the Constitution 70 years ago and it is time to remind the government of the values enshrined in it. As lawyers, we have had to come out in protest against this action,” Live Law reported.
#CAA_NRC_Protests
March of #Lawyers From Supreme Court to Jantar Mantar opposing #CAA_NRC_NPR , Police reppression pic.twitter.com/4ljBhv2ofP— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) January 14, 2020
Somdutt Sharma told reporters, “Both CAA and NRC strike at the core of the constitutional values and are against the idea of a secular democracy. Religion should be no basis of giving citizenship to people. The six communities which have been mentioned are already living in India and can apply for citizenship even through the Citizenship Act. Then what was the need to amend it?”
Speaking to ANI, an advocate said, “The reason for the protest is obvious. If the government does not listen to those of us who fight law inside the court, we will be compelled to come out in support of the constitution and take the issue directly in the court of people.”
“We chanted slogans against the Delhi police for their double standard in the Jamia University and JNU. Police took action against students in Jamia whereas they remained mute spectators during JNU violence,” one of the protesting lawyers told ANI.
The advocates also appealed to fellow lawyers and the people of India to come forward ““at this darkest period of India after independence to save our democracy and the Constitution and protect India as a secular nation with its composite culture.”
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