We the lawyers of India

LAFC is a lawyers’ association built around a single ideology: the Preamble to the Constitution of India. Non-partisan, secular, non-casteist, open to every lawyer who takes that seriously.

Why this Association?

The Bar has long been home to associations organised around courts, causes, and even political affiliation. What it has lacked is a body of lawyers organised around nothing more, and nothing less, than the Constitution itself — its Preamble, its guarantee of rights, and the democratic institutions that give it life. The Lawyers’ Association for Constitution is founded to fill that gap.

We come together as lawyers who believe that the values of Justice, Liberty, Equality and Fraternity are not partisan positions but the shared inheritance of every citizen, and that defending them is a professional responsibility, not a political choice. We are lawyers first, and our commitment to the Constitution does not depend on who holds office at a given time.

What we stand for

A Bar that is secular in the constitutional sense, open to every faith and to none, opposing the use of religion to divide rather than to believe. A Bar that is free of caste-based mobilisation. A Bar that argues from evidence and reason, carrying forward the scientific temper that Article 51A asks of every citizen. A Bar that is genuinely non-partisan: our members may hold any political opinion they choose, but no office-bearer of this Association will simultaneously hold office in a political party. And a Bar that treats constitutional and democratic values as worth defending in court, in public argument, and in the training of the next generation of lawyers.

What we will do

We will provide litigation and legal-aid support in defence of fundamental rights and civil liberties; track and respond to developments that touch on constitutional governance; publish research and organise public education on constitutional law; and mentor young lawyers and law students who want a home for public-interest and constitutional practice.

An invitation

We invite every lawyer and law student who shares this commitment, regardless of religion, caste, gender, or party sympathy, to join us as a founding member. The Constitution does not belong to one party or one government; it belongs to the people it was written for, and to the profession sworn to uphold it.

Why LAFC is different

The Lawyers’ Association for Constitution is a broad, non-partisan platform of lawyers committed to democracy, secularism, equality, civil liberties and constitutional governance.

LAFC brings together lawyers from different regions, courts, organisations, political backgrounds and areas of practice. Members need not agree on every issue. They associate around a shared minimum commitment to the Constitution.

No party control

No political party controls LAFC.

No discrimination

No discrimination based on caste, religion, gender or background.

Constitutional grounding

All public positions must be grounded in constitutional principles.

Transparent governance

Transparent governance, finances and decision-making.

What binds us together

A short minimum programme every member subscribes to:

Commitment to the Constitution

Defence of democratic institutions

Opposition to communalism and caste discrimination

Protection of civil liberties

Independence from political-party control

Solidarity with lawyers facing intimidation

Four words, one ideology

Everything the Association does traces back to the four commitments named in the Preamble. They are the test any position, litigation, or campaign has to pass.

Justice

Social, economic and political, pursued through litigation, legal aid, and public advocacy.

Liberty

Of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship, defended for every citizen equally.

Equality

Of status and opportunity, no communalism, no casteism, inside the Association or outside it.

Fraternity

Assuring dignity and unity, built through a non-partisan, cross-Bar membership.

Objectives

To uphold, defend, and propagate the values enshrined in the Preamble to the Constitution of India justice (social, economic and political), liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship, equality of status and opportunity, and fraternity assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation.
To bring together lawyers and law students committed to constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and secular values, irrespective of their political party affiliation, so long as they do not hold office in a political party.
To oppose communalism, casteism, and all forms of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth, while respecting the individual religious faith and practice of members.
To promote scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform, as duties cast upon every citizen under Article 51A of the Constitution.
To provide legal aid, litigation support, and advocacy in defence of fundamental rights, civil liberties, and democratic institutions.
To undertake research, publish materials, and organise seminars, training programmes and public awareness campaigns on constitutional law and democratic governance.
To mentor young lawyers and law students in constitutional practice and public-interest lawyering.
To cooperate with other bar associations, civil society organisations, academic institutions, and international bodies sharing similar objects, without subordinating the Association’s independence to any of them.
To do all such other lawful things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objects.

Functional units

A national ideological core, elected office-bearers, functional cells, state units, and concerned court units.

National body & office-bearers

President, General Secretary, Treasurer, elected every three years by the General Body.

National Executive Council

State representatives and co-opted members overseeing the Association between General Body meetings.

The Committees

Constitutional Affairs, Legal Aid & Litigation, Membership & Outreach, Media & Research.

Join as a founding member

Open to any advocate or law student, who subscribes to the objectives, regardless of religion, caste, gender or party sympathy, with one condition: no one can become an office-bearer of LAFC if she/he/other holds office in a political party.

Membership

Get in touch

EMAIL

contact@lafc.in