Progressive Lawyers Association

27/01/2024

Comrade Vikas: A Friend of the People
With deep sorrow and heavy feelings, we are informing that our comrade, Vikas has committed su***de and we have not been able to find his body until now. Comrade Vikas was suffering from mental health issues, because of which he took this step. Comrade was an active participant in the reorganizing of the Progressive Lawyers Association (PLA). In these tough times, our organization stands with the family of Vikas and all the concerned masses who are directly or indirectly related to comrade.
Comrade Vikas was a remarkable individual whose presence among us was defined by reason, firmness in ideology, and an unwavering commitment to the principles he held. He started his activism from his school time. During school time, he organized students against the arbitrary fee hike and demonstrated against the CBSE administration of South-Point School, Sonipat. In class 10th, he came into contact with the progressive people and always attempted to learn things through reason and process. Once he learnt about the chemistry of mixture in class and the next day he went to the famous Peda shop and experimented with the mixture of other things in the sweets. He found that the claim of the famous shop was vague and informed the police about it. There are a number of incidents like this, when Comrade Vikas refused to accept the “proposed reality” as it is and tried to materially understand it.
In class 11th, he was exposed to the idea of Marxism through a student organization and started participating in demonstrations and study circles. After his graduation, he joined Chatra Ekta Manch. He was a strong agitator with unwavering commitment towards the toiling masses. During any confrontation, we always found comrade Vikas in the first row of the demonstration. Comrade Vikas took part in a number of historic movements and campaigns which were related to political prisoners and students rights. He campaigned as a part of Campaign Against State Repression for the release of Professor G N Saibaba.
Comrade Vikas, with his rational and analytical mind, was a beacon of reason in our midst. Whether engaged in political discourse or addressing societal issues, Vikas demonstrated a rare blend of commitment to the cause and emotional attachment to the people. He had a great ability to assimilate with new people without considering their age gap. During this period, he was fighting against the feudal Brahmanical trends of his family, who always tried to restrict his involvement in the people's movement. He successfully established that family is also the ground of class-struggle, where he gave weightage to the people's cause and differentiated the emotional bonds of the two.
Even once he started practicing as a lawyer, he did not abandon the cause of the people. He fought a number of pro-bono cases, where he built deep connections with several families, not just as a lawyer but as a friend of people. He was a leading lawyer in the Butana R**e Case. As a lawyer, he participated in the fact finding of Butana and Mewat pogrom cases. Comrade Vikas stood as a pillar of strength, unyielding in his pursuit of justice and equality. His unwavering commitment to his principles was not only admirable but also served as a catalyst for positive change within our community.
The su***de of our comrade is the collective failure of the organization. It's crucial to foster open communication and transparency, acknowledging and addressing feelings to promote a healthy and supportive environment. By embracing openness and honesty, individuals within an organization can build stronger connections and work together more effectively. However, we don't support the step taken by the comrade. He always had the cause to love people and defend their rights. Simultaneously, we will also try to reflect the problem of mental health which has been growing rampantly in this society because of societal alienation. The tragic loss of Comrade Vikas underscores the profound impact of social alienation on individuals.
To honor his memory, let us unite in a collective effort to advocate for a larger societal transformation. By addressing the root causes of alienation and fostering more openness and connection , we need to build a new society.
We would like to share the last conversation with Comrade Vikas:
Believe in seeds, earth, and the sea,
but in people above all.
Love clouds, machines, and books,
but people above all.
Grieve for the withering branch,
the dying star,
and the hurt animal,
but feel for people above all.
Rejoice in all the earth's blessings-
darkness and light,
the four seasons,
but people above all.

20/02/2023

STATEMENT AGAINST STATE REPRESSION ON DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS LAWYER ANSAR INDORI
Uphold Democratic and civil liberties for the people!
No to proto-fascist police state!
19th Feb 2023
The strike of sword against the neck has once again been unleashed, trampling upon the most basic of civil rights i.e. to be represented and heard. On 18th Feb, 2023, NIA raided the premises of social and Democratic activists across Rajasthan, including the house of Civil Rights Lawyer Ansar Indori. Such attack became imminent the day Ansar Indore appeared in Rajasthan High Court, challenging the frivolous FIRs against PFI activists. We strongly believe that this attack is a reprisal of state against Mr. Indori's commitment towards civil liberties and Democratic Rights and the legal battles that he led against state repression. While we see this attack against Mr. Indori, as an attack on right to represent and the legal fraternity; it is also a suppression of right to be represented and heard, one of the main pillars of civil liberties of the people. Moreover, this is neither an isolated attack nor it is the first of its kind. Pattern of persecuting Democratic lawyers and civil liberty activists is not a new one and has a long history, be it incarceration of Trade Unionist and Lawyer Sudha Bhardawaj and Nagpur Based Lawyer Surendra Gadling in Bhima Koregaon Consipracy Case and raid on Advocate Mehmood Pracha's premises in relation with Delhi Riots Case. We have seen how Democratic lawyers are targetted for the cases they take up and the people they represent i.e. the oppressed and the exploited. Earlier also, Advocate Ansar Indori and some other human rights lawyers were charged under UAPA after they published a report titled ‘Humanity Under Attack in Tripura’ on 2nd November, 2021. Report was based on the findings of a probe conducted into incidents of atrocities on Muslim minorities in Tripura in October, 2021. The Supreme Court ordered in the favour of the team and restricted state agencies from taking any coercive actions against them.
This attack comes in the aftermath of RSS-BJP led Central Government's brutal state repression on PFI and its alleged affiliated front organisations on the pretext of the vague and undefined rhetoric of “Unlawful Activities” and conducted massive raid campaigns throughout 12 states, arresting more than 250 activists and banning them on 28th sept 2022. The major allegation was affiliation with proscribed terror outfits and conducting arms training camp. First allegation is broad, vague and yet to be proved under a law like Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), having conviction ratio of less than 2 percent. Allegation of training camps have been earlier dismantled in the case of Fulwari Shareef Arms Training Case. Bihar unit of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) published a Fact-Finding report in the above said matter and clarified that no such camp was held. It is also pertinent to mention that mere self defence martial arts classes are deemed as Arms Training camps for terrorist activities whereas undemocratic and illegal vigilante forces belonging to ruling dispensation are organizing massive rallies, distributing weapons and giving calls for murder and r**e of minorities in the country. At such time, when the state apparatus grants impunity to communal vigilante groups and persecutes the oppressed people, the role of lawyers, journalists and the civil society at large becomes a question political and ethical responsibility. It is not only the legal right of Ansar Indori and other such advocates to represent the accused in these cases, but also an ethical duty on all lawyers to represent a person accused of any crime and lacking proper legal defence.
Lawyers Against Atrocities (LAA) strongly condemns this illegal, undemocratic and arbitrary attack on civil liberties in general and right to be represented in particular. We see this attack as an attack on basic Democratic, legal as well as constitutional rights of the people. Further, this is nothing less than an attack on legal Fraternity itself.
We demand that no further coercive action be taken against Advocate Ansar Indori and that he shall be allowed to carry on his legal democratic exercise without any undue restraint.

AGAINST ATROCITIES (LAA), DELHI

05/02/2021

Important webinar from the perspective of 'democratic aspect of farmers movement'

26/12/2020

19/12/2020

https://youtu.be/WkqmUi4Be7w

Welcome my youtube channel HNP NEWS !अधिक जानकारी के लिए हमारे न्यूज़ चैनल HNP NEWS को SUBSCRIBE करें !सुबह की ताज़ा ख़बरें | Morning News | Speed News | दिनभ...

19/12/2020

https://youtu.be/lmPP4ryO990
Its good to see that finally charge sheet has been filed by CBI in Hathras case which clearly says that death of victim happened due to cervical injury clearly indicating the role of accused in the said gang r**e and murder case, but at the same time in the heart of Delhi Gurmandi case hapenned in which even FIR is yet to be registered by Delhi police, like Hathras in this case also Police is saying that r**e did not happen on the basis of postmortem report which happened after four days of r**e & murder of the victim , which is clear cut violation of guidelines issued by NHRC on investigation done in the sexual offence cases.
Lawyers Against Atrocities demands immediate registration of FIR and brain mapping test on all the accused including ACP and SHO Model Town which brutally thrashed the victim' family for mere demand of registration of FIR to ascertain the truth and forensic production of evidence, which shall lead to conviction of culprits.

On 4 October, a 17-year-old Nishad girl was found dead in her employer’s house, hours after she had called her foster mother and asked to leave that house. T...

14/12/2020

Advocates of Delhi Bar in solidarity with farmers demand protesting at Tees Hazari court

08/11/2020

It is a matter of great concern that in an alleged case of r**e and murder of a minor domestic help that happened on 4`th October 2020 in Model Town, New Delhi , after the wait of three days when victim`s family reached the Police Station for the body of victim and registration of F.I.R, Police instead of addressing the grievance of victim`s family have taken the side of oppressor and have beaten the victim`s family members & neighbours inside the Police Station for 8 hours which included 8 women and 4 men(60 year plus lady has been beaten in such manner that her back has bluish scar , a minor girl`s shoulder has got damaged, victim`s mausa Ramesh is not able to hear from one ear due to the severe beating) . Again when they went to the Model Town Police Station to lodge F.I.R on 16`th October along with student organisations of Delhi University then again victim`s family members were beaten along with students and jornalists (which included Ahan Joshua Penkar of Caravan) and police is yet to lodge a F.I.R in this heinous case of r**e&murder of the minor dalit girl.

Why is that in our criminal justice system it becomes so difficult to register F.I.R in a Police station. It is a herculean task to go to Police station and have your atrocity suffered being acknowledged by the Police. As lawyers we find it analogous to doctors watching their patient dying having exhausted all remedies. But our situation becomes little more precarious because we know we have the remedy but still we fail to get justice for citizens because of the impunity with which Police operates. Look at this impunity only , in aftermath of Nirbhaya`s death an amendement was braught in IPC,1861 in the form of section 166A which mandates police to register compulsory F.I.R in case of allegation of cognizable sexual offence . Even Supreme court of India in Lalita Kumari Vs State of UP(2014) judgment made registration of F.I.R mandatory in case of allegation of any cognizable offence without the requirement of preliminary investigation but alas the Police is working with the same impunity. A F.I.R is not acknowledgment of police holding someone guilty let alone conviction but it is mere acknowledgement of `allegation` of crime by victim family which requires investigation. If police do not find any incriminating evidence against accused they could file closure report under section 173(2) CrPC, 1973. When F.I.R is lodged , it sets our criminal justice system in motion, leads to investigation and unearthing of truth behind the crime.

Why it is often the case that police do not register F.I.R on plea of poor and lower caste victim. It clearly shows the bias in functioning of the police. What would have been the end result in case the victim had been mansion owner's daughter instead of domestic worker. It is not difficult to imagine the scenario, in that case whole family of domestic worker would have landed inside the jail. When impoverished section of society interacts with our criminal justice system it seems as if the whole system is stacked against them. Lo and behold, victim family along with students and journalist of Caravan magazine have got F.I.R registered against themselves thanks to the police holding them responsible for spreading covid-19 under section 188,120B 269,270 of IPC. Slant of police is clear from the F.I.R registered against victim's family protesting for registration of F.I.R in alleged r**e & murder of minor girl.
The whole functioning and apathy of police force reeks of class bias in the country. If the victims happens to be from upper caste or higher echelons of society then the criminal justice machinery functions in the speed of bullet train like was the case of Sushant Singh Rajput's su***de or recent same day filing and hearing of the bail petition by the court in the matter of Arnab Goswami. But if victim happens to be dalit domestic help worker working in some big mansion and r**ed & murdered , mere formal request of registration of F.I.R could lead to barbaric police brutality on victim's family along with the journalist covering the issue, democratic students supporting the victim family's cause and lawyers representing the family as is the present case. You could gauge the impunity of police that it forcefully cremated the body of victim in night at 8 pm on 8’th October 2020, without taking the consent of the family just like in Hathras, now police is not only refusing to register F.I.R but is also erasing the ‘evidence’ ,brutalizing the victim's family, students,journos and lawyers.
LAA condemns this barbaric act of police in strongest terms and demands immediate suspension of culprit ACP Ajay Kumar, SHO Dinesh Kumar of Model Town in this matter. We also appeal to the lawyers community to march on streets for implementation of ‘rule of law' , because it is always implemented on streets rather in courts.



https://caravanmagazine.in/crime/protest-against-delhi-police-outside-dcp-office-still-no-fir-into-17-year-olds-death

23/06/2020

A fine report by independent journalist Neha Dixit on broken criminal justice system of India during pandemic and its quite shocking that India did not considered justice as essential and thereby kept many political prisoners in particular anti CAA,NRC protestors in jail.

With legal services not classified as essential by government, there was little access to bail or a fair investigation.

08/06/2020

03/06/2020

This is to inform the general public and progressive organizations in particular that LAA (Lawyers Against Atrocities) along with bsCEM (Bhagat Singh Chatra Ekta Manch) participated in a march and protest against the witch hunting of political activists and students who had been protesting against CAA-NRC-NPR. It is to be known that there was a general call by many progressive democratic organizations to protest against the atmosphere of deterrence created by the indiscriminate arresting of students after the Delhi pogrom. In this regard we protested outside Delhi University near Maurice Nagar Police Station. While our comrade Ashutosh was giving his speech. The protest was interrupted by police. Com.Ashutosh was dragged by the police pushed into the jeep of the police. The two female comrades with us were badly abused and beaten. Despite the rule that female shouldn't be detained by the police after the sunset, the female comrades of bsCEM were detained at the late night. After which the police slapped section 188 on all the five activists. We were denied the option of contacting our lawyer. The police called the landlord of the rented house where we are staying in vijay nagar. The police said that we shouldn't be given space to stay. This act of the police is the assault on our right to live with dignity.

The defying of section 144 by us is a mark of civil resistance. We defy all those laws that stand against the broad masses of people. We think that it is against the constitutional morality that laws like section 188 is intact. The defying of government order which is anti people is the duty of every progressive individual. It is constitutionally correct to defy a law that goes against the basic democratic values inscribed in the constitution. Civil disobedience is the rule of the day. We can not let the present fascist regime play with the how so ever little democratic space in our society. The political economy of Covid 19 has clearly been exposed by the laws like section 188. This pandemic has been used to attack the material interest of working class. The squeezing of resources from the resources of working class to the ruling class is being done now. While all the democratic voices are let to die. We can not let this pandemic be used as a weapon to destroy the dissenting voice of people.

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