Chief Justice Intervenes as Delhi Police Detain Protesting Lawyers
Chief Justice Surya Kant secured the release of dozens of lawyers detained by Delhi Police during protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
Delhi Police detained between 50 and 100 advocates, including senior counsel and women lawyers, on October 10 during protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The demonstrations, organized by the Cockroach Janta Party, targeted allegations of voter-list manipulation during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Police implemented a security grid across central Delhi using barricades and CCTV cameras under prohibitory orders, transporting some detainees to the Yamuna Sports Complex.
Surya Kant, the Chief Justice of India, intervened with government and law enforcement authorities after the Supreme Court Bar Association and the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association reported the arbitrary detentions. Following his intervention, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, New Delhi, assured the bar associations that the legal professionals were being released. The lawyers were freed after nearly two hours in custody.
Beyond the legal community, police detained several political leaders and activists near the INA Market, including Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, and Neha Bora. The Cockroach Janta Party reported that founder Abhijeet Dipke and other leaders were detained immediately upon landing at the Delhi airport to prevent them from reaching the protest site. The Supreme Court Bar Association and other legal bodies have since called for an inquiry into the police conduct, alleging the use of excessive force against peaceful protesters.
