The legal fraternity on Wednesday expressed anger and indignation over the attack on advocate Prashant Bhushan in his Supreme Court chamber by two suspected Sriram Sene activists,
“Nobody has the right to take law in his hands or attack a person for his opinion on any issue,” said the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Secretary General K.C. Kaushik, deploring the attack.
“He is not only an advocate but also a citizen of India and as a citizen of this country, he has the right to voice his opinion,” said Mr. Kaushik.
ADVERTISEMENT
“This attack is serious as Prashant is a member of the Bar and even more serious as the attack took place inside the chamber block (housing the lawyers chambers),” he said.
Mr. Kaushik said the SCBA had taken up the matter of general security with the authorities concerned even after the September 7 blast in the Delhi High Court premises and had raised the demands of CCTVs in the lawyers chamber section and an increased police force outside chambers.
The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) also reacted sharply to the incident. DHCBA president A.S. Chandiok said, “We condemn the attack whole-heartedly.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The Co-ordination Committee of all Bar Association of Delhi has called a meeting tomorrow to discuss the attack on the noted lawyer, who has taken up various public interest cases and is a key member of Anna Hazare team spearheading an anti-corruption campaign.
Rajiv Khosla, the spokesperson for Committee, said it was a “very serious matter”.
“If the attack is related to his being a part of team Anna, it is even more serious as it shows it was an attack on all those who are up against corruption.
“Even if it is not related to his being a part of team Anna, it is serious as it has taken place inside the chamber block. It means, whosoever is defending somebody, can be attacked just like that,” he said.
Mr. Bhushan was attacked by two youths purportedly over his advocacy of plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir.