Lawyers detained outside the Supreme Court during the CJP protest on October 10 were released after the Supreme Court Bar Association and the Solicitor General sought the Chief Justice of India’s intervention, according to Bar and Bench and The Tribune.
The release came within hours, but the accounts of how it happened differ. Bar and Bench credited the Bar Association and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, while The Tribune quoted Bar Association president Pradeep Rai saying the Chief Justice spoke to the authorities.
The number is also unsettled: messages among lawyers said about 100, and Bombay Samachar said about 50 to 60.
The Bar Association’s resolution condemned the reported use of excessive force and asked for an examination of the detentions, and the reports did not carry a statement from Delhi Police.
The episode came a day after the Supreme Court said Delhi cannot be shut down entirely ahead of the protest.
Bar and Bench did not confirm that figure, and it reported that several lawyers were detained.
Bombay Samachar put the number at about 50 to 60 lawyers, including senior advocates and women, who were released several hours after being detained.
The lawyers had been marching from the Supreme Court to Jantar Mantar, according to ThePrint’s live blog.
The Supreme Court Bar Association passed a resolution condemning the reported use of excessive force against, and the detention of, senior and young advocates, particularly women advocates.
The resolution asked the Chief Justice of India to step in, according to The Tribune.
The Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association also passed a resolution seeking urgent action, according to Bar and Bench.
The Bar Association asked for an examination of the detentions and of the reported use of force.
The reports available on October 10 did not include a statement from Delhi Police on the detention of the lawyers.
Supreme Court of India (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0