In a joint letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Opposition parties strongly condemned the searches in the houses and offices of senior advocates Indira Jaising and Anand Grover.
The letter signed by the Congress, the Trinamool, the two Left parties, the Aam Aadmi Party and others said the searches were the latest in a long line of coercion and intimidation of Ms. Jaising and Mr. Grover. It was “nothing short of a brute show of intimidation as well as gross abuse of power”.
“This is especially so since both advocates, well known for their pioneering work in the field of human rights, have fully cooperated with the authorities ever since criminal charges were filed against them in the alleged FCRA violation cases,” the parties said in the letter. They have demanded that the government halt such “act of coercion and intimidation.”
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury in a series of tweets accused the government of targeting Ms. Jaising and Mr. Grover.
“While the law must take its course, brazen targeting of well known and respected senior advocates by the government via its agencies raises serious questions about its intentions,” Mr. Yechury said.
