Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: The Bar Council of Delhi took cognisance of the defacement in and around city courts due to campaigning for local bar body elections on a day TOI highlighted the widespread menace across the city.
Delhi’s top regulatory body for city lawyers issued a strongly worded public notice and warned advocates to remove election banners and posters before polling starts on Friday or face “disciplinary action”.
Highlighting that defacement of public properties inside, outside and in the vicinity of court complexes as a “menace,” the Bar Council of Delhi gave 10 hours to the advocates contesting the elections to remove all such banners and posters.
The public notice issued by BCD, and signed by its secretary Rajesh Mishra, stated that of the lawyers failed in the clean-up, disciplinary action would be taken against them. “All advocates, who are contesting elections to various posts, are hereby notified that they must remove all such banners, posters, etc., from the premises of the court complex inside and outside and throughout Delhi within 10 hours or before the polling starts, failing which necessary disciplinary action shall be initiated against such candidates and their licence will be placed under suspension with immediate effect,” the notice warned.
The disciplinary body for advocates said such acts amount to offences under various provisions, including the anti-defacement law and Advocates Act, apart from violating rules of BCD itself.
“It has been observed by the Bar Council of Delhi that the menace being created by the candidates contesting on various posts of Bar Associations of District Court as well as Delhi High Court, throughout Delhi, by pasting, placing, hanging posters, banners, etc., on the premises of the court complex inside and outside and including public places like Metro pillars and even on public properties and private properties, without any licence and without any permission, not only amounts to offence under provisions of the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 2009, and also under Section 35 of the Advocates Act and Rules of Bar Council of Delhi,” the notice said.
The strict missive came after TOI on Thursday reported about the rise in defacement cases in the national capital, including for the ongoing bar elections. Delhi High Court last month directed that elections to all bar associations would be held on March 21. A spot visit to several court complexes by this paper revealed posters on walls, banners and boards on trees and electric poles, and messages pasted on Metro pillars were a common sight near most court buildings.
While the high court cracked the whip in case of defacement by students during the Delhi University student elections last year, it was left to BCD to weigh in against defacement during the bar elections.
In the case of DUSU, the high court took the extraordinary step of halting the counting of votes till all the defacement, including posters, hoardings and graffiti, was removed and public property restored. It summoned the errant candidates and chided them for their behaviour.
Mayank Rawat
