The Delhi High Court warned of severe action if any protest is carried out in any courts of the national capital, ahead of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legal cell’s call for protest against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate
The division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora questioned how protests can be held in court premises.
After a lawyer made a mention about his complaint against the call given by AAP legal cell, Justice Manmohan said that consequences are very severe for organising a protest in court. While the High Court said it may hear the matter tomorrow, it also issued a warning to the lawyers intending to protest inside the court premises.
Justice Manmohan added that there will be serious consequences and law laid down by the Supreme Court will be applied. He further added that the Court can’t be withheld and can’t be stopped. He mentioned that litigants cannot be prevented from entering the courts.
The Delhi High Court said that the AAP legal cell cannot take away someone’s fundamental right to approach the court, that is the settled law, adding that if someone does it, he will do it at their own peril and the court will take action if required.
The Aam Aadmi Party legal cell has called for a protest today and asked the lawyers to gather in all the district courts at around 12:30 PM today to protest Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest. In addition, the Bar Council of India has requested the legal fraternity not to protest in the courts.
Taking into consideration several media reports, the BCI Chairman and Senior Advocate Manan Kumar Mishra in a press release appealed to his colleagues in the legal fraternity of the national capital to resist the temptation of engaging in unwarranted agitation or succumbing to divisive politics. He also urged the fraternity to uphold the integrity and dignity of the noble profession, refraining from any movement until a competent court unequivocally establishes CM Arvind Kejriwal’s innocence or declares his arrest unjust or unlawful.