Police detained CJP supporters during a demonstration near Bangla Sahib Gurudwara in New Delhi on Saturday. (EXPRESS PHOTO BY PRAVEEN KHANNA)By Saturday afternoon, videos had started circulating on social media showing senior advocate Shadan Farasat being lifted and detained by Delhi Police officers.“It has become a police state. The value of a citizen is nothing today … they (policemen) suddenly came towards Yogendra Yadav. I was trying to stop them. They tore my shirt and threw me inside a moving bus,” Farasat said, adding: “I was worried … my leg could have come under the bus.”Later in the day, the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) condemned the detention of several lawyers and the alleged use of excessive force by police against people who attempted to take part in a protest demanding Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.“The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) strongly condemns the action of the authorities in detaining several lawyers during the peaceful protest held on 10.10.2026 against the Chief Election Commissioner, Shri Gyanesh Kumar, and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process,” read a resolution issued by the DHCBA. Police detained CJP supporters during a demonstration near Bangla Sahib Gurudwara in New Delhi on Saturday. (EXPRESS PHOTO BY PRAVEEN KHANNA)“The DHCBA expresses its strongest disapproval of the excessive and disproportionate use of force against the protesting lawyers, including women advocates. Video footage that has surfaced depicts lawyers, including Senior Advocates, being physically dragged by the police,” it also read.“Such high-handed and undignified treatment of members of the legal fraternity is wholly reprehensible and constitutes a grave affront to their dignity and constitutional rights,” it stated.Lawyers who participated in a march near the Supreme Court Saturday also complained of alleged “disproportionate” police measures.Story continues below this ad“We were holding the preamble in our hands. The protest was so peaceful. We were shoved into buses…I was put in a bus. Then I was shoved into a jeep. Everyone else was taken to a sports centre near Karkardooma. They tore the preamble,” advocate Smiti Verma said. Senior Advocate Nandita Rao was also detained, she added.“The right to peacefully assemble and express dissent is a fundamental constitutional guarantee … maintenance of public order cannot be used as a pretext for arbitrary detention or excessive force against peaceful protesters. The DHCBA also expresses its deep concern over the reported incidents of police personnel tearing the Preamble of the Constitution of India, an act that strikes at the very ideals and values upon which our Republic is founded,” the resolution added.Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023. Professional Background Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University. Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories. Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts. Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials. Recent notable articles In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories. 1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey. 2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation. 3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police. Signature Style Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public. X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... 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