Marking the spirit of 80th Independence Day, the Lawyers Association for Constitution (LAFC) was officially launched during an informal inaugural meeting at Kerala House in New Delhi. The association declared its formation in the presence of members from legal fraternity across the diverse spectrum, and promised to safeguard constitutional values, ensuring professional independence, and to promote institutional transparency.

The association, operating strictly on a non-party affiliation basis, has opened its membership is any practicing lawyer, law student, or law school teacher who shares the objectives of the organization. The association restricts the holding of office-bearer positions exclusively to qualified legal practitioners.

The event featured addresses from prominent members of the bar who deliberated extensively on the scope of activities LAFC intends to undertake. Among the key speakers were Senior Advocate C.U. Singh, Senior Advocate and former Patna High Court judge Justice Anjana Prakash, former Allahabad High Court judge Justice Amar Sharan, Senior Advocate Nandita Rao, Senior Advocate Amit Anand Tiwari, and Senior Advocate Shadan Farasat.

Advocates Madhu Saran, and Devvrut, President of the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA) also spoke at the event, alongside a robust open discussion involving numerous other lawyers.

Resolutions adopted on recent BCI controversy and others

LAFC unanimously adopted multiple resolutions, particularly condemning the directive issued by the Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra attempting to halt the enrolment of the 2026 batch of NALSAR graduates for exercising peaceful dissent. Terming it an "intimidation tactic" and a misuse of regulatory authority under the Advocates Act, 1961, the association asserted that peaceful dissent is protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. The LAFC called upon the BCI Chairman to resign.

On judicial vacancies and diversity, LAFC called for the timely filling of vacancies across trial and subordinate courts while raising an alarm over structural diversity deficits. It highlighted that in the Delhi High Court, out of a sanctioned strength of 60 judges, no judge from the marginalised has been appointed. It equally highlighted the inadequate representation of marginalised community, members from religious minorities, persons with disability and regional diversity in the Supreme Court.

During the open-floor discussion, participants raised concerns regarding discriminatory policing based on caste and religion, as well as the growing professional vulnerability of lawyers handling sensitive cases. Instances were cited where Muslim clients reportedly requested Hindu counsel to avert communal perception bias.

The meeting concluded with a decisive call to convene a national-level convention in November 2026 to scale up the organization's nationwide mandate.

About the association

Senior Advocate P.V. Dinesh walked members through the newly launched website, LAFC.in, highlighting its features and the scope for expanding "Know Your Candidate" (KYC) disclosures and legal aid initiatives. The website was officially launched by Justice Amar Sharan.

Organizers informed attendees that structured KYC forms had already been supplied to candidates contesting the upcoming Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) elections, with around 20 candidate profiles successfully uploaded onto the website to foster transparency in bar governance. The meeting demanded the implementation of the KYC framework across all bar association elections nationwide.