Kotdwar Bar Association to rescind the notice barring its members from representing accused in Sushil Raghuvanshi case

The Kotdwar Bar Association has withdrawn the notice that has restricted its members from representing a person accused of murdering a lawyer. This was stated before the division bench of Uttarakhand High Court, hearing a PIL that challenged the legality of the notice.

The bench comprising of Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma observed that all accused are entitled to legal representation. The resolution taken by the Bar Association could not be permitted under law. The Chief Justice stated, "Even if someone shoots me then also you cannot refuse to represent the accused in court. Even Kasab was not denied representation in court." The Court further agreed with the act of the respondent of withdrawing the notice and asked the counsel to file an affidavit accordingly.

The notice was issued due to murder of Sushil Raghuvanshi who was member of Kotdwar Bar Association. The Association restricted its members to not represent the five accused involved in the murder. One of the accused filed a PIL challenging the legality of the notice.