In a move to protest the recently introduced criminal laws, lawyers in Delhi’s lower courts have decided to abstain from judicial work on July 15. The All India Lawyers Union’s Delhi unit is leading the strike, deeming the new laws cruel and potentially harmful to the justice system.
According to Atul Kumar Sharma, General Secretary of the Coordination Committee, and Chairman Jagdeep Vats, the new laws’ detention provisions are excessive and may lead to increased custodial torture and violations of arrested individuals’ freedom. The committee also objects to the public display of arrested persons’ details, citing privacy concerns.
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The members of the committee believe that Section 187 (3) of the new Indian Civil Defense Code provides for increasing police custody from 15 days to 60 to 90 days, which was 15 days in the old Criminal Code.
While the new laws prioritize investigations into crimes against women and children, with a focus on technology integration to streamline legal processes, the lawyer’s union believes these provisions come at the cost of individual rights and justice.
The strike will affect all lower courts in Delhi, with the Coordination Committee urging lawyers to boycott judicial work in solidarity.
The new criminal laws emphasize the use of technology in investigation, trial and court proceedings. This new law provides that now a person can report incidents through electronic means of communication, for this he does not need to go to the police station. With the introduction of Zero FIR, any person can register an FIR at any police station, regardless of its jurisdiction.
