All India Lawyers’ Association for Justice (AILAJ) and other 31 independent lawyers have objected to Karnataka State Bar Council organising a talk on “Uniform Civil Code Pros and Cons” by advocate Sai Deepak.
In a letter to the Bar Council, they said, “The main speaker proposed for the event is known to be a staunch supporter of India being turned into a Hindu Rashtra, a proposition that runs afoul of our constitutional democracy. This despite the fact that the speaker is a practicing advocate and is thus, fully aware that the value of secularism is a foundational value for the country and forms a part of the basic structure of the Constitution of India.” They have expressed shock over the Karnataka State Bar Council, “whose duty it is to promote constitutional values”, providing platform to Mr. Deepak.
“Although the topic is ‘Uniform Civil Code: Pros and Cons’, the views of the present speaker, which is available in the public domain, would show that it is only one side of the debate that would be placed before the public,” the letter contended. They signatories have called upon the Karnataka State Bar Council to immediately call off the event scheduled for August 31.
