MUMBAI: The Bombay Bar Association on Wednesday condemned and expressed its unequivocal outrage at “police excesses, physical assault, manhandling, brutality and detention of peaceful protestors in New Delhi on 10 October 2026, as also the detention of lawyers in Mumbai and other cities.”The resolution said, “The Association is deeply disturbed by the deplorable treatment meted out to members of the legal fraternity, including senior advocates of the Supreme Court of India, who were subjected to the use of excessive force and detention while exercising their constitutional right to peaceful protest.”The incident involving senior advocate Shadan Farasat being physically manhandled and hauled, “like a parcel of goods, is particularly shocking and wholly unacceptable,” the BBA, one of the oldest and venerated bar in India said.“The treatment of numerous other advocates, including women advocates, and citizens is equally disturbing. Several advocates in Mumbai and other cities were also detained merely for peacefully protesting,” it added.The resolution signed by BBA President Nitin Thakker, VP Venkatesh Dhond and secretary Naushad Engineer reiterated that the right to peacefully assemble, express dissent and protest is a fundamental constitutional right and an indispensable feature of a functioning democracy.“The freedom to disagree with the government or any public authority is not a privilege granted at the discretion of the State; it is a constitutional guarantee that the State is duty-bound to respect and protect,” it stressed.Recognising that maintenance of public order is a legitimate responsibility of the police, the BBA however said it can never justify “arbitrary detention, disproportionate use of force, physical intimidation or the suppression of peaceful dissent.”The police is required to uphold the Constitution and protect life, liberty and dignity of every citizen, the BBA resolution underscored. And said, “Any exercise of authority that disregards these obligations strikes at the very foundations of the rule of law.”The dignity and independence of the legal profession must be respected at all times, the BBA stated and called the “physical manhandling or detention of advocates engaged in peaceful protest” and “an affront not merely to the individuals concerned but also to the constitutional values that the Bar is committed to defend.”The Bombay Bar Association emphasises that the rule of law cannot be preserved by resorting to methods that undermine the rule of law itself.“A democracy must have the strength to tolerate dissent, the maturity to engage with criticism and the restraint to ensure that the power of the State is never exercised arbitrarily. Peaceful protestors cannot be treated as adversaries of the State merely because they choose to raise their voices in disagreement,” it added.The BBA resolved to continue to stand firmly in defence of constitutional freedoms, civil liberties and the rule of law, irrespective of the identity of the persons exercising those freedoms or the causes for which they peacefully raise their voices.
