That the Constitutional protection under Article 22 providing every detainee the right to be represented by a lawyer of his/her choice is sacred and held to be the foundation of our legal system. So much so, that the Court has stated that an accused may even be acquitted or a mistrial may be declared if found that he did not have a fair trial. (SD Kohli v. State of Maharashtra, jdg dtd. 18/12/2008 )

That the Advocates Act bars anyone from denying to take up a case on the ground that the accused had actually committed the crime.

That in light of this; Kudos to Anjaji Waghmare for having the courage to represent Ajmal Kasab.

I had earlier written about the Catch-22 situation about providing legal aid to Kasab. While the Shiv Sena has already attacked her house and created a ruckus, there was some deliberation in Court as to whether she would continue with her client. The Court has now provided security to her.

Readers may read Kevin John Heller’s post on “Why I am Advising Radovan Karadzic?” for a possible explanation why lawyers defend known criminals.