'Saradha chief’s lawyer was only doing his job’

Guwahati: The All Assam Lawyers’ Association (AALA) on Thursday criticized peasant leader Akhil Gogoi for questioning the intentions of advocate Siddhartha Bhattacharya, who defended Saradha chief Sudipta Sen in a case here two years ago.
On Wednesday, Akhil came down heavily on Bhattacharya for defending Sen, who cheated thousands of people in the state.He said apart from being a lawyer, Bhattacharya is a BJP politician and he should have verified Sen’s credentials before representing him in a court of law.
However, the lawyers’ association said as a professional, Bhattacharya is bound by the law to defend his client in the court.
The association’s general secretary, Sailendra Das, said, “Akhil should study how the law works in our country. According to law, everyone is equal and has the right to be defended. Our country’s judiciary has even given the right to dreaded militants like Ajmal Kasab. Bhattacharya was only doing his job.”
The lawyers’ body urged Akhil to correct his versions before addressing people.
BJP leader Bijon Mahajan (also a lawyer) said the allegation against Bhattacharya was politically motivated and there was nothing wrong for a lawyer to represent the Saradha chief in court.