Bar Council of India (BCI) chief Manan Kumar Mishra on Friday dismissed calls for his resignation, a demand also backed by Abhijeet Dipke’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
His remarks came days after the CJP announced support for a protest at BCI, New Delhi seeking Mishra’s resignation and called on “legal cockroaches” to join in.
He said that he represents 25 lakh lawyers and won’t step down over some demands on social media. Do you think you can force the resignation of the Chairman of the Bar Council of India, who represents 2.5 to 2.6 million people across the country, simply by circulating frivolous posts on social media?,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. I am telling you this. A lawyer cannot be a cockroach. Lawyers belong to a respected class; they are a highly intelligent group. “Do you want to make a mockery of an institution like the Bar Council of India? The Bar Council withdrew its order within hours after the matter sparked backlash. However, the outrage didn’t stop, with the CJP issuing a call for Manan Mishra’s resignation as BCI Chair. Cockroaches both inside and outside courts should ensure this happens,” he wrote on X.
The Rajya Sabha MP also rejected the use of this term for advocates and said: “Don’t you dare use the term “legal cockroaches” ever again. The Bar Council Chair also said that anyone who holds the post is not merely appointed but elected to lead the role. CJP spokesperson Saurav Das had said: “Moral responsibility commands that Manan Kumar Mishra resigns. Earlier this week, the CJP backed the All India Young Advocates Association’s protest call seeking Mishra’s resignation, and Abhijeet Dipke called on all “legal cockroaches” to join the cause.
