Detained lawyers released after the Supreme Court Bar Association and the Solicitor General intervened, following detentions near the Supreme Court during the Cockroach Janta Party protest.
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New Delhi: Lawyers who were detained by Delhi Police on Saturday in connection with protests called by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have been released after the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta intervened.
The SCBA had earlier passed a resolution asking Chief Justice of India Surya Kant to intervene urgently, and the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) passed a similar resolution. The CJI had communicated to the authorities that the detained lawyers should be released. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and the SCBA then intervened, after which the lawyers were let go.
The detentions
Messages circulating among lawyers claimed that around 100 advocates had been detained outside the Supreme Court and taken to the Yamuna Sports Complex. That figure is an unverified claim, and the number actually detained or released has not been confirmed. The names of the lawyers have not been stated. The bar bodies had also alleged the use of excessive force during the detentions; those allegations are untested.
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The official position
No statement from Delhi Police on the detentions or the release is available at the time of writing, and the grounds on which the lawyers were detained have not been stated. The matter before the Supreme Court on the conduct of the protest, including the question of metro and train closures, is separate, and the merits of the protest and of any restrictions were not decided.
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Why the development matters
The release closes the immediate episode of the lawyers’ detention. Questions raised by the bar associations about the manner of the detentions remain allegations, and no finding has been made on them. Whether any follow-up is sought by the SCBA, SCAORA or the lawyers concerned is not stated.