TCN News
The CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) today conducted a raid of the residence of Indira Jaisingh and her spouse Anand Grover, both senior advocates in the Supreme Court, Delhi and also their NGO office in Mumbai over alleged violation of foreign funding under the FCRA.
The senior advocates are known for their human rights work through their NGO ‘Lawyers collective which has advocated defending the human rights of the marginalized sections of the Indian society. And through the legal battles of the lawyers collective, the activists of this NGO have set precedents with landmark judgments in various cases concerning children, women and third gender.
Many activists, across the nation, who have expressed shock and anger at this feel that this raid is a result of the politics of vendetta as Indira Jaisingh has taken up the case of the woman employee who has been sacked for her allegations of sexual harassment against the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi who has been given a ‘clean chit’ by the members of the in-house inquiry committee.
Lawyers collective has been under scrutiny from the last few years when their FCRA license was suspended in 2016. Subsequently complaints were filed that funds received by the organsiation were misused.
However Lawyers Collective has fully cooperated in all the enquiries made by the authorities to clear the allegations. Despite this the CBI conducted raids in their home and office.
Indira Jaisingh was designated as a senior advocate by the high court of Bombay and also appointed as an additional solicitor general of India. She has been a member of the UN committee on elimination of discrimination against women (CEDAW) and also is the recipient of Padma shree by the government of India.
Anand Grover, her spouse, was the UN special rapporteur on ‘Right to Health’. The duo had founded lawyers collective in 1981.
Anand Kejriwal, Chief Minsiter of Delhi has come out in support of Indira Jaisingh and Anand Grover. In his tweet he has condemned this show of power by the Government in rule.
I strongly condemn CBI raids on well known senior advocates @IJaising and Mr Anand Grover. Let the law take its own course but subjecting veterans who have all through their lives fought for upholding the rule of law & Constitutional values is clear vendetta
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) 11 July 2019
Many lawyers, artists, academicians and activists have also sent a petition endorsed by them demanding that such acts of harassments should be stopped and Human Rights defenders in the country should be able to carry out their legitimate activities without hindrance.
They also demanded that the National Human Rights Commission of india should take cognizance of this matter and take actions to protect the rights of Indira Jaisingh and Anand Grover.