Sai Deepak’s statements often act as dog-whistles against the Muslim community, the letter alleged and called upon the event to be cancelled immediately.
Twitter/jsaideepak
A group of lawyers from Karnataka and the All India Lawyers Association for Justice (AILAJ) has written to the Karnataka Bar Council opposing a talk organised by the council on Uniform Civil Code in which Supreme Court lawyer Sai Deepak has been invited as main speaker. “We are shocked to learn that the Karnataka State Bar Council is organising a talk titled, Uniform Civil Code: Pros and Cons with Advocate Sai Deepak slated to speak as the main speaker. The main speaker proposed for the event is known to be a staunch supporter of India being turned into a Hindu Rashtra, a proposition that runs afoul of our constitutional democracy,” the letter signed by around 30 lawyers and the AILAJ said.
Calling upon the Karnataka State Bar Council to immediately call off the event titled Uniform Civil Code: Pros and Cons' to be held on 31st August, 2023, the letter said that Sai Deepak has called for the denunciation of secularism by terming it 'BS' (short form for 'bullshit).
“The speaker is a practising advocate and is thus, fully aware that the value of secularism is a foundational value for the country and forms a part of the basic structure of the Constitution of India. It is also no secret that he has repeatedly issued islamophobic statements and attacked the Christian community and Christian educational institutions calling them 'anti-Hindu'. Further, the speaker in question has publicly asked all non-Hindus to leave India 'as it is not their motherland'”, the letter further said.
The letter also recalled Sai Deepak’s interview telecast by Ranveer Allahbadia (known as Beerbiceps). “In the interview, the guest is asked to name three people who he thinks should leave India and never come back. He replies with the names of three prominent personalities - Romila Thapar, Irfan Habib and Barkha Dutt. While Romila Thapar and Irfan Habib are world-renowned historians, Barkha Dutt is a noted senior journalist. These statements qualify as targeted harassment of the individuals named based on the communities they belong to.”
Sai Deepak’s statements often act as dog-whistles against the Muslim community, the letter alleged. “He then proceeds to state that the future of India lies in preserving its accommodating character and that character can be preserved only if we are a Hindu majority. It is, therefore, shocking that the Karnataka State Bar Council, whose duty it is to promote constitutional values, has readily platformed an individual who discredits constitutional principles and openly speaks the language of rabid hatred against Muslims, Christians, and other minorities in India.”
The lawyers also termed it unfortunate that the panel decided by the Bar Council was entirely male, with not a single woman speaker or any representative from the LGBTQI community.
“In these precarious times, lawyers and lawyers' associations must work to give dignity to those whose lives and humanity is being trampled upon cruelly. They must nurture a brand of courageous lawyering that stands against injustice and is grounded in resistance. The Karnataka State Bar Council, must ideally represent all advocates and be the voice of the legal community in Karnataka, and we call upon the Bar Council to revise its program and ensure the same,” the letter said.
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