Women lawyers seek Bar panel’s intervention in Paracha raid issue

New Delhi, Dec 27 : Days after the Special Cell of Delhi Police raided the office of advocate Mehmood Pracha, one of the defence counsels in the northeast Delhi riots case, the Delhi High Court Women Lawyers Forum has written to the President of the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA).
In its letter written to DHCBA President Mohit Mathur, the women lawyers expressed deep concerns over the investigating agency arraigning lawyers as accused in criminal cases.
“We write to you as a group of lawyers who are deeply concerned about the recent instances where the investigating agency has been arraigning lawyers as accused in criminal cases,” the letter read.
The letter further said that though the proceedings initiated against such lawyers are ostensibly independent of the matters being handled by them, but the pattern emerging from all such instances, where lawyers are being targeted, is hard to ignore.
“Raids in the office of Mr Mahmood Pracha, advocate is the latest example of such intimidation by the Delhi Police. Mr Pracha is representing several accused persons in the recent riot cases in Delhi. The recent trend indicates that there are other lawyers too who are being intimidated and discouraged from representing their clients in these cases,” the letter said.
The letter also said that this is also a larger issue that goes beyond the riots case, wherein lawyers who are vocal about defending civil liberties are being systematically targeted. “This is clearly an act of vindictiveness on part of the investigating agencies whose actions are preventing lawyers from carrying their out professional duties,” it said.