The National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided Chandigarh’s renowned Senior lawyer Shailey Sharma’s residence.Haryana Bar Condemn NIA Raid and lawyers started protest.
(Source: Tribune News)
Chandigarh News: On 18 October, around 6 am NIA raided Shailey Sharma’s Residence and the raid continued till 9.30 am, where they took both of her two phones. This enraged the advocates and Haryana, and Chandigarh bars condemns NIA raids and on Tuesday decides to strike work indefinitely.
Condemning NIA Raid at Advocate’s Resident
On October 18, Tuesday National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided senior advocate Shailey Sharma’s residence and seized her mobile phones and documents without any reliable reason as the raid ended around 9.30 am.
In an interview, Shailey said, “I was taking a bath when one of my roommates told me about NIA personnel, who were more than 16 in number. I was scheduled to go to Amritsar in connection with a criminal case in a local court.
Later NIA personnel started throwing baseless questions at me, such as why all the criminals only come to me for their cases. To which I answered, “They come to me I don’t go to them.” And I have many high-profile cases because I have a background of having numerous good results and from Sidhu Moosewala to the RPG case, they come to me because I am a Defence Lawyer. The raid went on for as long as 3 hours and ended at 9.30 am.”
Shailey also added, “And as they couldn’t find any relevant evidence or proof in my documents and laptop, they took both of my mobile phones with some documents. And when I asked on what probe and case are they being taken she did not get any relevant reply.”
Later in an interview with her roommate, Jaspreet Kaur said, “She is an advocate, and she is only doing her job and I was there when she was interrogated by NIA personnel.”
NIA raid at Shailey’s house led to enraged lawyers and led to protests. And many advocates reached her house in sector 27 in solidarity. District bar council of Punjab and Haryana also condemns these raids.
Punjab and Haryana Bar Councils Condemn Raids: Protest by Lawyers
Punjab and Haryana’s Bar Council while condemning the NIA raid decided to protest. President, Sunil Toni said, “The Executive Committee at a meeting decided to condemn the raid. And that the advocate Shailey gets exoneration.”
The Bar Council is governing body for regulating advocates in Haryana, Punjab, and Chandigarh.
The Bar Council President Chairman Suvir Sidhu wrote a letter to NIA, which said, “Such Raids (at advocate’s residence) by a primer agency that too on baseless grounds is reflective such “Police Excesses.” The grounds and manners on which these raids are conducted are a matter of critical concern not for one but all the lawyer community and litigants in general.”
He also added, “Agencies were expected to be fair to all and work according to constitutional norms. Advocates are protected under special attorney-client privilege and the right of each citizen to pursue their legal remedies by engaging a lawyer of choice.”
Sidhu also said, “Unconscionable condemnable deliberate acts of false intimidation and overreach against its advocate on roll very seriously.”
The letter had said such raids can only be understood to intimidate advocates from pursuing the cases of accused, victims, and criminals.
The Bar council requested once to supervise such unexplained raids and take due note of such actions. And, to restore the dignity, pride, and rights of the legal fraternity which has been hurt due to NIA’s irrelevant Raid.
(With inputs from Multiple Media Outlets)
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