Advocate Mehmood Pracha, who is representing several of the accused in the Delhi riots case, was raided and searched by the Delhi police on Thursday, a move that has been highly condemned. The raids at Pracha's office in Delhi's Nizamuddin East began at around 12.30 pm and continued for more than three hours.
Delhi Police have claimed that during the course of a bail matter pertaining to an accused of the Northeast Delhi riots, the use of a forged notary stamp and creation of allegedly false and manipulated evidence at the hands of certain members of the bar was noticed. The Ld. Special Court had observed that the same required thorough investigation. Pursuant to this, a criminal case under appropriate sections of law was registered and an investigation taken up.
"During the course of investigation, search warrants to look for electronic and other evidence from the premises of two members of the bar were obtained from the Honourable Court and the same are being executed in a professional manner at one location in Nizamuddin and another at Yamuna Vihar," a senior Delhi Police officer said.
"They came to our office with laptops, printers and gadgets and hacked our office computers," Mehmood Pracha said.
In a video, Pracha is heard telling the police that they cannot seize his computer and laptop, stating that this will amount to violation of client-attorney privilege, since the Delhi police is also probing the Delhi riots case. He says that the police can examine the laptop but cannot seize them.
"This is in violation of the order": Advocate @MehmoodPracha tells police regarding seizure of his office computer and laptop https://t.co/5RnLeU4pIg pic.twitter.com/L0Z1YdNvLi
— Aditya Menon (@AdityaMenon22) December 24, 2020
In another video, Pracha says from his balcony that the investigating officers are not allowing him to meet anyone. According to reports, the searches were being carried out late into Thursday night and early Friday.
5 hours later, the raid that started at 12:30 pm is still on. @MehmoodPracha says the investigating officer isn't allowing him to meet anyone. pic.twitter.com/UCBAOSy6IV
— Fatima Khan (@khanthefatima) December 24, 2020
Taking to Twitter early on Friday, Pracha alleged that he and his associates were assaulted by officials of the Delhi Police team after they “found nothing,” after “15 hours of marathon scrutiny of all my office computers filed and even bathrooms.”
“If @DelhiPolice doesn’t destroy the Court ordered video recording of the raid the real masterminds of North East Delhi violence will get exposed. I was repeatedly threatened with the name of @AmitShah Sahab. I thank all the people who supported me. I promise that we will not back down in our Mission Save Constitution. It was an attack on the lawyers community I am proud that all my juniors stood like rock against the vicious attack on legal profession,” he tweeted.
the raid the real masterminds of North East Delhi violence will get exposed. I was repeatedly threatened with the name of @AmitShah Sahab. I thank all the people who supported me. I promise that we will not back down in our Mission Save Constitution. Jai Bhim Jai Bharat
— Mehmood Pracha (@MehmoodPracha) December 24, 2020
According to a report in The Quint, Pracha’s colleague said that the police plugged three pen drives into the computer and retrieved some files.
Several members of the legal fraternity have condemned the raids on Pracha, stating that this amounts to a breach of client-attorney privileges.
First they came for activists; then they came for students; then they came for farmers; now they are coming for their lawyers; Next, they will come for you.
— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) December 24, 2020
Will you call this a Democracy?
We will all have to fight this together. https://t.co/ZggkHS3uyk
The raids on Mahmood Pracha Lawyer for the defence in the Delhi riots case is a direct attack on the fundamental right of the right to legal representation , all lawyers must condemn this attack
— Indira Jaising (@IJaising) December 24, 2020
As multiple people have already pointed out, the rule of law collapses entirely when the State (read: police) breaches the attorney-client privilege with such impunity. Joining with others to call upon the bar councils and associations to condemn this unequivocally. https://t.co/XH2WGc8Sez
— Gautam Bhatia (@gautambhatia88) December 24, 2020
I may have professional differences with Mr. Mahmood Pracha and may agree to disagree with him most of the time but for an office of a lawyer to be raided like this is highly condemnable.
— Rahul Mehra (@TheRahulMehra) December 24, 2020
Expecting good sense to prevail sooner rather than later.
By seizing Adv Mehmood Pracha's computers for particular emails, police will get a lot of data that's protected by attorney client privilege. This goes to the heart of rule of law. Lawyers must stand up for Adv Pracha as much as for Adv P. Bhushan. https://t.co/t9YHTIwNDh
— Karuna Nundy (@karunanundy) December 24, 2020
With IANS inputs