DBA gives statewide call for ‘No-Work Day’ in courts

The District Bar Association (DBA) on Monday has given a call for observing a state-wide ‘No-Work Day’ by all Bar Associations of the Punjab and High Court Bar Association, Chandigarh, in support of an incident of harassment and intimidation of advocate Mandeep Singh Sachdev.

Sachdev had on Thursday last alleged that he was getting messages allegedly from Canada-based extortionist Sandeep Singh Sunny, originally hailing from Nakodar here. To express solidarity with him, DBA president Aditya Jain said that any attempt to malign or endanger an advocate is an attack on the rule of law itself.

Jain expressed satisfaction with the role of police stating that they have fully cooperated in the matter. “The alleged defamatory videos have been deleted, the YouTube channel of the extortionist had been blocked, appropriate provisions have been added in the FIR and investigation into the role of Sandeep Singh’s father was underway.”

The DBA has requested every Bar Association to pass its resolution and independently submit a representation to the Chairman of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana and Punjab Chief Minister to press for the immediate enactment of the Advocates’ Protection Act. ‘No-Work Day’ was observed in the court even on Monday.

Meanwhile, Sachdev has on Monday withdrawn his waqalatnama in the case of fatal accident of ex-MP Mohinder Singh Kaypee’s son Richie Kaypee. Both the ex-MP and his son have been members of the District Bar Association and a majority of the lawyers had declined to contest the case against Kaypee. Sachdev, however, had a defence counsel in the case for accused Gursharan Singh Prince, who is absconding for the past nine days.