Petition seeks Bar action against gang-rape convicts' lawyers

Even as the Supreme Court has sought explanations from M L Sharma and A P Singh, the defence lawyers in the 2012 Delhi gang-rape case, for their derogatory remarks against women in a BBC documentary, a Bengaluru-based lawyer-turned-journalist quietly submitted a petition signed by 2 lakh people to the Bar Council of India (BCI) on Thursday demanding strict action against the two.

Raghul Sudheesh will also be intervening in a petition filed by the Supreme Court Women Lawyers’ Association (SCBA) that seeks a ban on the two lawyer’s entry into the apex court’s premises. Soon after watching the documentary, “India’s Daughter”, Raghul, like many in the country, was outraged at the comments made by the lawyers and decided to do something about it. Speaking to Deccan Herald from Delhi after submitting the petition, he said, “I started a petition on change.org on March 5 and within a short time got a number of signatures.”

On Wednesday, he and a few law students from Delhi submitted what is perhaps the first written complaint on the matter to the BCI. The timing of the submission was also strategically decided as the council would be holding a sub-committee meeting to decide on the matter of the two lawyers on March 28. The BCI had sent show-cause notices to the two lawyers on March 7, asking them to reply within three weeks.

“The chairman of the BCI said he is confident of a positive outcome. My intention is to keep the pressure on the BCI to act against the lawyers and for them to bring in rules to check such derogatory remarks by lawyers against women in such sensitive cases,” he said. Raghul passed out from the National University Of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi, and ventured into journalism after a short stint in practice. He joined a popular legal news website as its associate editor in the city.  

“If BCI fails to act, I would be moving the Supreme Court of India. I will not let down the hopes of 2 lakh people who have signed my petition,” Raghul added.