BCI chairman demands Sharmishta Panoli's release; condemns West Bengal govt
CHENNAI: The Bar Council of India (BCI) chairman and Rajya Sabha member, Manan Kumar Mishra, has condemned the arrest of law student Sharmishta Panoli by the West Bengal police for a now-deleted social media video, despite her immediate apology.
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'I demand Sharmistha's immediate release, a fair trial, and an end to the double standards that have long plagued the state's administration of justice,' he said.
'It represents an absolute failure of justice and a blatant assault on freedom of expression. The Bengal govt and Kolkata police have once again proved their pattern of excessive, selective, and politically motivated action, targeting individuals from particular communities while ignoring or even shielding far more egregious acts by others,' Mishra said on Sunday.
It is deeply troubling that the same govt that opposed Operation Sindoor - a decisive counter-terror operation meant to avenge the brutal killing of innocents -- now seeks to silence a young law student for questioning such similar double standards, he said in a statement.
'It is unconscionable that a young law student is made a scapegoat and subjected to harsh legal action, while past atrocities on particular communities by govt-sponsored persons and entities remain unaddressed. True democracy demands impartiality, restraint, and the equal protection of rights, not selective outrage and vendetta,' Mishra said.
He also called upon the Bengal govt and its police to 'abandon this dangerous path of targeting select voices and to uphold the rule of law for all.'
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