Lawyers express solidarity with Gandhian leader in Pune

More than 250 lawyers in the city on Thursday staged an agitation in front of Gate 4 of the district court to express solidarity with anti-corruption crusader, Anna Hazare.

They raised slogans in support of Hazare and the Jan Lokpal Bill. The former president of Pune Bar Association (PBA), Milind Pawar, criticised the Centre for the treatment meted out to Hazare.
Pawar, who is Hazare’s lawyer, told DNA there was no reason for the Delhi Police to put Hazare behind bars.

“He just demanded a place to start his indefinite hunger strike in a peaceful manner to register his opposition to the toothless government Lokpal Bill, which is his constitutional and democratic right,” Pawar said.

Nivedita Kale, a senior lawyer said, “We are interacting with other lawyers in taluka courts to strengthen the agitation in support of Hazare. Even the daily proceedings in some of the courts across the district have been stalled by the lawyers.”

Kale said if the Centre does not allow Hazare and civil society to carry out their peaceful protests, the lawyers in Pune would consider stopping work in the Pune district court.

The PBA distanced itself from the agitation as it has been set up solely to address problems of lawyers. PBA president Dhananjay Taur said individually the lawyers support Hazare.

“Individually we support Anna and most of our fraternity members are showing solidarity with him,” he added.