THE 13th national conference of AILU (All India Lawyers Union) was held on December 27-29, 2019 at Kochi in Kerala.

This triennial conference was held at a time when the country is passing through a challenging phase in its history. 480 delegates from 26 states attending the conference deliberated on a variety of issues like abrogation of status of Jammu and Kashmir and split of the state; National Register of Citizens (NRC); Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019; economic slowdown; legal education; weakening of constitutional and democratic institutions like the Election Commission of India, Reserve Bank of India, Bar Council of India, independence of judiciary, National Judicial Commission, CBI etc.

The AILU membership recorded an increase of 60 per cent jump in its membership from 22,420 to 37,119 members. The organisation has functional units in 26 states. The AILU between 12th and 13th national conference recorded an unprecedented victory in the elections to the state bar councils in which 29 members of AILU were elected in 14 states. Kerala topped the list winning 10 seats; West Bengal and Tripura won four seats each; Chhatisgarh and Uttrakhand 02 seats. In Assam, Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, Bihar, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur secured one seat each.

SEMINARS
On December 26 the state unit’s C P Sudhakara Prasad, president of Kerala state unit inaugurated an exhibition on Justice Krishna Iyer and of cartoons on a variety of topics concerning courts, law and the Constitution at the venue of the conference. On December 27, in the morning before flag hoisting ceremony, the delegates signed a big chart in protest of Citizen (Amendment) Act, 2019 and the proposed National Register of Citizens. Two Seminars were held during the conference. One Seminar was held in the evening of December 27 on the subject-“challenges before the judiciary”, which was inaugurated by Justice Kurian Joseph, a former supreme court judge in which Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, president of AILU and Justice Dineshan, a former judge of Kerala High Court spoke highlighting the challenges faced by the judiciary in deciding cases of national importance bearing far-reaching consequences. Another Seminar on “CAA and NRC” was held December 28, which was addressed by Indira Jai Singh(senior advocate) and social activist Teesta Setalvad. On the concluding day at 9.30 am before start of the session a procession of delegates protesting against CAA and NRC was taken out from the venue on to the front road attracting the attention of the public to dangers of the law to the social mosaic of the nation.

The conference was inaugurated by Justice K Chandru, a former judge of Madras High Court, himself a founder member of AILU at the central level and an office-bearer of AILU at the state level before his elevation as a judge of Madras High Court. Justice Chandru criticising the central government for bringing controversial legislation and the proposed NCR asked the government whether it wants the whole country to be converted into an open jail.

DELEGATE SESSION
The conference was conducted by a presidium comprising Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya and all the vice presidents along with Latha Thankappan. Discussion on the report was summed up by the general secretary accepting the suggestions made by the delegates and on the functioning of the organisation. These suggestions shall be incorporated in the report.

The conference during its deliberations adopted twenty-six resolutions. Some of them include; on bar council reforms; on delay in appointment of judges in the high courts; on amendment to UAPA; to treat regional languages as official language in high courts; on abolition of bar examination; on scrapping of CAA 2019; against the arrest and detention of journalists and media persons in Kerala; on encounter killings by the police; on independence and accountability of judiciary and National Judicial Commission; stipend for junior lawyers, etc.

ELECTIONS
The conference elected 167 members to the national council (NC) leaving four seats vacant. The NC immediately after its election held its first meeting to elect 81 members of the national executive committee from amongst its members. The NC elected Justice V Gopala Gowda, a former supreme court judge as its patron, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya as president, P V Surendranath, as general secretary and Anil K Chauhan as the treasurer. Besides, the NC elected 14 vice- presidents, nine joint secretaries and eight assistant secretaries.