West Bengal Lawyers Protest Against 'Draconian' New Laws

A faction of lawyers at the Calcutta High Court and district courts in West Bengal abstained from judicial work to protest three new criminal laws deemed anti-people by the state's Bar Council. They wore black badges and declared July 1 a 'black day'.

A faction of lawyers at Calcutta High Court and district courts across West Bengal abstained from judicial duties on Monday, responding to a protest call by the state's Bar Council against the enactment of three new criminal laws.

Labeling the laws as "anti-people, undemocratic and draconian," the Bar Council exhorted lawyers in West Bengal and the Andaman Nicobar Islands to mark July 1 as a 'black day'. Protesters donned black badges, expressing their discontent with the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam—successors to the British-era Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.

In a recent resolution, the Bar Council called on lawyers across the region to abstain from judicial work to oppose the new legislation. However, the high court clarified on Friday that no individual could be coerced into observing a strike or ceasing work, emphasizing that lawyers' duties are a public function. Following the court's directive, the resolution was not enforced as a mandatory strike for advocates. Bar Council of West Bengal Chairman, Ashok Kumar Deb, announced an emergency meeting to decide future actions.

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