RWPI CONDEMNS THE SUSPENSION OF ADVOCATE ASIM SARODE’S LICENSE — A BLATANT ATTACK ON THE RIGHT TO DISSENT!
Statement issued by Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India (RWPI)
The suspension of Advocate Sarode’s license once again underlines the reality of fascist infiltration in so-called independent administrative bodies. Revolutionary Workers’ Party of India (RWPI) condemns this assault on freedom of speech and demands the reinstatement of Advocate Sarode’s license with immediate effect.
The Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa (BCMG), on August 12, 2025, issued an order revoking Advocate Asim Sarode’s license for three months while also additionally imposing a fine of Rs. 25,000 for his conduct that was supposedly “unbecoming” for a member of the Bar. Notably, this order was only communicated to Advocate Sarode in November 2025, 3 months after the order was passed.
The BCMG’s disciplinary proceedings concerning Advocate Sarode’s conduct were necessitated by a complaint filed against him by one Advocate Rajesh Dabholkar, who had accused him of delivering “hate speech” and making contemptuous statements against the judiciary, then Governor BS Koshiyari, and then Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Rahul Narvekar. In particular, his remarks that the “the judiciary is under pressure and there is no judiciary left to deliver judgments in favour of the people” at a public event and terming the Governor as a “faltu” (useless) person were highlighted in the complaint.
The BCMG affirmed the complainant’s allegations by remarking that Adv. Sarode had “created an atmosphere of distrust and disrespect towards the judiciary” and that his conduct was “highly improper, reprehensible, condemnable”, before proceeding to suspend his license for a period of 3 months.
Is an act of fair criticism of the judiciary and against a sitting governor equivalent to grounds for misconduct for the Bar Council? In setting standards for “trust” and “respect” that must be compulsorily directed towards the judiciary and people occupying constitutional posts, the BCMG has essentially suppressed voices of dissent while championing these institutions and offices as sacrosanct and beyond criticism! Clearly, the act contributes to the continued and systematic erosion of free speech under the fascist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
Without a doubt, the last decade has been witness to the fascization of the judiciary under the aegis of the fascist BJP government at the centre and in a number of states. From listening to a sitting high court judge deliver hate speech against minorities to learning about retired judges joining the BJP, the judiciary’s proximity to the ruling party is every layperson’s observation.
The decisions concerning the unjust revocation of Article 370, the treatment meted out to refugees by the Indian state, the desecration of Babri Masjid, illegal bulldozer actions against minorities and the toiling masses, and the persistent denial of relief for incarcerated political prisoners are only a few examples in a long list of developments which bulwark the claim of fascist infiltration in the judiciary. In addition to the highest quarters of influence, the infiltration is also evidenced by an increasing presence of RSS sympathisers and affiliates in the lower rungs and accompanying institutions of the judiciary — from lower courts and district courts to bar associations, the footprint of RSS-affiliated bodies like the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad is undeniable.
Contrast the current development with the inaction against advocates in BJP’s fold, like Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, who had organised a communal rally in 2021 where slogans like “Hindustan mein rehna hoga, Jai Shri Ram kehna hoga!” were shouted in broad daylight! Did the authorised Bar Council not find the act to be “unbecoming” of an advocate? Or was it of the opinion that hate speech against minorities falls under the ambit of free speech?
This, simply, is the reality — actual acts of gross misconduct are willfully ignored, while acts of criticism are reprimanded. The bar councils’ convenient standards for misconduct are pronouncedly visible. Thus, the BCMG’s unjust action against Advocate Sarode should be seen as a punishment for political dissent, and not merely as a judgement analysing professional misconduct!
Viewed in totality, the common masses have every reason to question the integrity of the judiciary as a whole! Should the BCMG have an objection to such a sentiment, it must direct its questions not towards dissenters but towards the judiciary itself!
RWPI strongly condemns the fascization of the judiciary and its accompanying institutions like the central and state bar councils. We oppose the August 12 order and once again demand the immediate reinstatement of Advocate Sarode’s license with immediate effect.
The right to political dissent is an integral and inalienable democratic right of the masses. Justice-loving masses must steadfastly join the larger fight against the suppression of dissent and civil liberties by the fascist Modi government!
