THE fourth state conference of the All India Lawyers Union (AILU), organised by the Himachal Pradesh state committee, convened at Kurian Hall, HP High Court, Shimla on December 10, 2023. The event began with a flag hoisting ceremony and a floral tribute to Shahid Bhagat Singh and Dr B R Ambedkar, led by national general secretary P V Surendranath, senior advocate, followed by all delegates.

P V Surendranath inaugurated the conference, and spoke on the current challenges and emphasized the imperative to "Save Constitution and Save Democracy." He highlighted AILU's core values, stressing the slogan of AILU “Democracy, Secularism, Justice, Socialism”. Surendranath also spoke about the attempts by the central government to undermine the constitution's fundamental structure, by fostering communal tensions for social destabilisation.

AILU state secretary Ashok Verma, advocate, presented the draft report, highlighting AILU state committee's statewide programmes and efforts to strengthen the organisation. Delegates actively discussed experiences and progress, expressing dedication to facing challenges.

Fraternal organisations' office bearers offered greetings, including warm wishes from Gurmej Singh, president, AILU Haryana and Randeep Singh Chauhan, vice president, AILU Chandigarh. National treasurer Anil Chauhan also addressed the conference, and greetings were received from Ld. advocate general of Himachal, Anoop Rattan, and president of HP High Court Bar Association, Daleep Singh Kaith.

Several resolutions were unanimously endorsed at the conference. The state secretary proposed a new 47-member state council, who were unanimously elected, with a 17-member secretariat formed in the first meeting.  Niranjan Verma was elected president, Surender Verma as secretary, and Ashok Kumar Verma as treasurer. Seven vice presidents were also elected, including Daleep Singh Kaith, Neeraj Vasu, Dyan Singh Negi, Kapil Bhardwaj, Dinesh Thakur, Deepak Azad, and Puneet Dhanta.