PIL Activist, Prashant Bhushan, has resigned from the governing councils of Centre for PIL (CPIL), Common Cause and Swaraj Abhiyan after a complaint was registered against him for violating Bar Council of India Rules on Professional Standards. The complaint was filed by Major S.K. Punia before the Bar Council of Delhi (BCD).
Clause 9 of the rules states that an advocate should not represent organizations he is a member of. The BCD had sought a reply from Bhushan over Major Punia’s complaint. In his response, the advocate had conceded that he had indeed violated the rule.
Bhushan announced on Twitter that he had resigned as the Bar Council was “hounding him” and that he will continue to represent them in the Court and guide them. He also confirmed that he had only resigned from the Governing Body of these organizations.
People are asking if I have resigned from CommonCause, CPIL& Swaraj Abhiyan. I have resigned from the GBs of these since the BarCouncil was hounding me citing a rule that I can’t appear in court for an Org if I am on its governing body.I will continue to do their cases&guide them
— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) April 16, 2019
It is pertinent to mention that Common Cause is an FCRA NGO that has neither made public the quantum of money it has received from abroad nor its donors. It has filed several PILs that have great significance for the security apparatus of the country such as the one in the Rafale deal and the feud within the CBI.
