Delhi Lawyers Protest: The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) has vehemently criticized the notification released on August 13, 2025, by Delhi's Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena, which assigns video conference rooms in police stations as official sites for documenting the testimony of police staff and officers.
In a notice dated August 27, 2025, the DHCBA's Executive Committee described the move as unacceptable and unanimously resolved to oppose it.
The Association has asked its members to wear black ribbons while appearing in court as a symbolic mark of protest until the notification is withdrawn.
"The notification declaring police station video conference rooms as 'designated places' for recording evidence undermines the sanctity of judicial proceedings," the notice, signed by Joint Secretary Kunal Malhotra, stated. The Association appealed to all members to cooperate in the protest. The DHCBA's move comes amid a larger agitation by lawyers across Delhi.
Bar associations from district courts have been on strike since August 22, demanding the withdrawal of the Lieutenant Governor's order.
On August 26, the Coordination Committee of All Delhi Bar Associations decided to extend the strike for another day. Lawyers from Patiala House Court staged a march at India Gate Circle, while their counterparts from Rouse Avenue Court held demonstrations near the court complex.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) has expressed support for the Delhi lawyers, describing the LG's order as detrimental to the principles of natural justice. In correspondence with the LG, BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra and Co-Chairman Ved Prakash Sharma cautioned that taking testimonies from police stations might undermine the reliability of evidence and jeopardize the right to a fair trial.
The BCI stated that evidence must be documented in court with the witness physically present, emphasizing that conducting cross-examinations, which are crucial to criminal trials, through video conferencing from sites managed by investigative bodies would undermine their effectiveness.