00:00When the body meant to regulate legal profession itself comes under the scanner the questions are
00:07bound to be sharper. Who am I talking about? Well the confirmation or perhaps you know the entire
00:14confrontation that happened that is playing out outside the bar council of India headquarters
00:19in Delhi with lawyers taking to the streets and demanding the removal of BCI chairman Manan
00:25Kumar Mishra. Now what's the background? Remember the protests that are at the you know has its roots
00:31in the Nalsar controversy where the BCI decision to restrict enrollment of universities 2026
00:38graduating batch of lawyers triggered a backlash before the order was you know really enforced or
00:46even it had to be withdrawn eventually. The protesters are now citing that episode as an example of what
00:52they call arbitrary decision-making and are demanding accountability institutional reform
00:58and greater protection for lawyers. The center of the protest is one demand the resignation of BCI
01:05chief Manan Mishra. But the protesters are seeking more than a change at the top they want a protection
01:11framework for advocates insurance and welfare measures as well for lawyers and wider reforms
01:16within the legal profession. The protesters alleged that notices are being issued at the
01:22discretion of the BCI chairman that orders have been passed against lawyers and that the council's
01:28office and letterheads are being used for what they describe our political agendas.
01:34These remain allegations made by the protesters remember but what about the Cockroach Janta party?
01:41The Cockroach Janta party has now backed the demonstrators. CJP spokesperson Saurabh Das has called the protesters
01:48legal cockroaches, supported their demand for Mishra's resignation and described the protest as a peaceful effort
01:55to seek accountability. Now what began as a dispute over one university's graduating batch has now widened into a larger
02:04confrontation over power, accountability and the independence of the institution that regulates India's lawyers.
02:16We are outside the Bar Council of India office where advocates have gathered protesting,
02:22seeking resignation of BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra. We will try and speak to these lawyers trying to find out
02:29exactly what exactly what they are seeking. As we can hear slogans are being raised seeking resignation where they clearly
02:38stating that Manan Kumar Mishra should resign. They are questioning that they are representing everyone who
02:47is representing them. When will Manan Kumar Mishra speak up for the lawyers is what they are questioning.
02:56So what's your primary allegation? Primary concern? Why are you seeking his resignation?
03:03Now I think the groups could remove conforms. I think we are seeking, but we are seeking to
03:10have a formal interpretation of the clerest. And we are seeking to provide a particular
03:21officer. But we have a question of way. Because of the law they are seeking and the civil rights
03:23when they are seeking. And the senior leaders' side to you today. They are seeking to
03:29make the corners of the lawyers. And so I think this is very strong and the senior leaders
03:30as well as a state of untangering the oppose. And if there are the most important
03:32scenes of the law that they are seeking, we are seeking tojate you, depending on what you
03:33do. So what you are seeking to prevent the police from which they are seeking,
03:33foreign
03:43foreign
03:44foreign
03:45foreign
03:46I don't think it's a reason for your opinion, but it's not a reason for your opinion.
04:35we will be standing here hands in hands with all the lawyers the fraternity is here and we will make
04:43sure we will make sure that we stand here till the time manan mishra resigns and it is an
04:49unconditional demand we do not want anything else we want his unconditional resignation
04:56all right let me cut across to anisha mathur now joining us for a perspective on this story
05:00now anisha needless to say that the lawyer communities perhaps the most political community
05:04in the country every time all great politicians have come out of you know being lawyers some
05:11journalists have come out of being lawyers who is now the chief spokesperson for the kokro janta
05:17party also has a you know law background over there but and we know that within the lawyer communities
05:23there are always groups anti somebody you know pro someone and there are lobbies that exist the
05:29protests that we see right now do you see them as genuine lawyer anger as genuine you know anger
05:36against what mr manan did or do you think this is just yet one of those lobbies who are just
05:41you know
05:42having their day in the sun because of in the comments made see uh honestly the answer to that
05:49is both there are lobbies and everybody knows that as you just mentioned but there is very much uh anger
05:56against the bar council against mr manan mishra even within the bar council of india and the state
06:03bar councils themselves because you know some of we heard some of these lawyers who were talking to
06:08our reporter srishti oja this morning at the same time let's also look at what has happened in the
06:13country over the last few days when the initial letter had gone out from the bar council of india
06:20with mr manan mishra's signature to the nalsar authorities and to the state bar councils we spoke to
06:26several representatives of state bars we spoke to several senior lawyers from across the political
06:32spectrum all of them had the same question how can the bar council violate the right to protest
06:38freedom of expression of students in this manner if you see what is happening not just at nalsar but
06:45also nls bangalore for example and nujs kalkata nlsar jodhpur all these law schools which are the
06:53premier law schools of the country their teachers their students have also raised the same question that
06:58students in this country every citizen in this country has the right to protest so why did the
07:04bar council issue the kind of letter it did interestingly sonal when i called mr mishra and i
07:09called multiple members of the bar council of india on the day that this letter was issued
07:14some of the persons i spoke to said well that letter this kind of order should not have been passed
07:20within a two-hour period sonal look at the timeline also 6 15 the let initial letter goes out 8
07:27o'clock
07:28the second letter comes out and says this is now endorsed by the executive committee that no action
07:35will be taken against the students but inquiry will continue so within two hours within the bar council
07:41itself people had raised the question of what exactly was done so when there are questions being asked about
07:47mismanagement of the bar council uh whether mr mishra did what he did could he have done what he did
07:53in the first place this is not a political question it was not a lobby raising this question
07:58it is something that is being asked across the board that are we uh losing sight of what the law
08:05what the constitution allows us to do back to you interesting indeed but whenever it comes to lawyers
08:11there's always a twist to the story there's always a hidden meaning that perhaps none of us are looking at
08:16so perhaps we'll wait for anisha to get us what exactly is happening over there in the next one
08:19for the moment thanks so much for joining us
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