The Delhi High Court has requested the AAP government to submit a status report on the Advocates Protection Bill, intended to enhance safety for legal professionals. The court expedited the hearing to December 16, responding to a plea following recent violent incidents against lawyers, emphasizing the urgent need for a protective law to secure advocates’ rights and safety.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court recently urged the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to expedite progress on the Advocates Protection Bill, aimed at creating a safer working environment for legal professionals. Justice Sanjeev Narula instructed the Delhi government to submit a status report on the bill within two weeks and advanced the hearing date from February 5, 2025, to December 16, 2024, to address the urgency of the matter.
The High Court was hearing a petition filed by advocates Deepa Joseph and Alpha Phiris Dayal, who have called for the enactment of a protective law following the tragic murder of a lawyer in April. Represented by advocate Robin Raju, the petitioners highlighted the dangers faced by lawyers in Delhi and called for immediate court intervention.
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Delhi government’s standing counsel, Santosh Kumar Tripathi, assured the court that he would file an updated status report on the bill’s progress. The court also noted a recent violent incident on October 21, in which several lawyers were attacked, leading to an FIR registered at Mehrauli Police Station. These events have intensified calls for robust protections for legal practitioners.
In their plea, the advocates emphasized that
“recent acts of violence against lawyers show the dire need for enactment of the Advocates Protection Act in Delhi.“
The bill’s draft, prepared by Delhi’s Law Department, has been pending with the Delhi Law Minister since September 13. Given the increasing frequency of violence targeting lawyers, the petitioners requested that the court expedite action on this critical issue.
The issue of lawyer safety gained prominence following the April 1 murder of Advocate Virender Kumar Narwal, who was shot by two assailants on motorcycles in Delhi’s Dwarka area. The petitioners highlighted that incidents like Narwal’s murder have created a climate of fear within the legal community, especially for young, first-generation lawyers. They argued that such incidents also impinge upon Article 19(1)(g), which guarantees the right to practice any profession, and Article 21 of the Constitution, which ensures the right to life and personal liberty.
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The plea cited Rajasthan’s Advocates Protection Act as a model, which offers police protection to lawyers facing threats, along with strict penalties for perpetrators. Delhi’s legal community believes similar legislation is crucial for their safety and to reinforce their rights. The petitioners expressed that
“Only an Act that guarantees protection to the fraternity of lawyers practicing in Delhi will help remove the sense of fear embedded in the minds, particularly among young first-generation lawyers like the petitioners herein due to the repeated acts of firing inside court premises and altercations to state the least.”
The court’s directive reflects a strong push to ensure legal professionals in Delhi can work without fear of violence, aiming to bring long-overdue legislative protections to the capital’s legal fraternity.
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