A video of lawyers protesting against the Advocates Amendment Bill is falsely shared as them protesting against the Waqf Amendment Act
The Waqf Amendment Bill was recently passed by both houses of India’s Parliament. The Lok Sabha approved the bill on 02 April 2025 after a nearly 12-hour debate, with 288 members voting in favour and 232 against. The Rajya Sabha subsequently passed the bill in the early hours of 04 April 2025 following a 12-hour discussion, with 128 votes in favour and 95 against. And on 05 April 2025, President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Waqf Amendment Bill. Amid this, a video is circulating on social media (here, here, and here) claiming that lawyers protested against the Waqf Amendment Bill by blocking roads and raising slogans such as “Dictatorship will not run on the strength of Parliament” and “Take back the black law”. Let’s verify the claim made in the post through this article.
Claim: The video shows lawyers blocking the road and protesting against the Waqf Amendment Act.
Fact: The viral video shows lawyers protesting against the Advocates Amendment Bill, not the Waqf Amendment Bill. It was uploaded on 22 February 2025 on the YouTube channel “HNP NEWS HINDI” and shows a protest outside Tis Hazari Court in Delhi. There are no reports of lawyers protesting against the Waqf Amendment Bill in this manner. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
Upon closely reviewing the viral video, it can be heard that the reporter mentions the location as outside the Tis Hazari Court. The logo of a news organisation is also visible in the video. On closer observation, it was identified as the logo of a YouTube channel named “HNP NEWS HINDI.”
We performed a Google keyword search and found that a video was uploaded on the YouTube channel on 22 February 2025, titled “Lakhon lawyers have jammed the roads of Delhi? Modi government is shocked to see this! Watch it quickly.” The viral clip has been taken from this video itself and can be seen after the 1 minute 35 seconds timestamp. In this video, it is clearly evident that the lawyers are protesting against the Advocates Amendment Bill, not the Waqf Amendment Bill. The lawyers can be heard saying that the government is trying to suppress the voice of lawyers by introducing this bill.
We also found multiple media reports covering this incident (here, here, and here). According to these reports, a protest was held in various courts across Delhi in protest against the reintroduced Advocate Amendment Bill. The central government had proposed amendments to the Advocate Act of 1961, and once the draft was released for public feedback, lawyers across the country began opposing it. Bar Council of India President Manan Kumar Mishra stated that the provisions of the new bill not only affected the freedom of lawyers but also took away their right to protest. The draft bill reportedly proposed restrictions on lawyers from boycotting courts, going on strike, or suspending work, which sparked widespread anger.
Another major concern was the provision allowing the central government to nominate three members to the Bar Council of India alongside elected representatives. Lawyers criticised this as an attempt at government surveillance. The bill also included a clause allowing foreign law firms to practise in India, which became a key point of contention. Apart from these, there were several other provisions in the bill that lawyers strongly disagreed with.
According to a press release issued by the Press Information Bureau on 22 February 2025, the amended Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2025, is set to be reintroduced.
As for the Waqf law, we did not come across any news reports indicating that lawyers have opposed it and organized a protest of this nature.
However, it is important to note that the Waqf Amendment Act has led to protests across India, with protestors demanding its immediate repeal (here, here, here, and here).
To sum up, a video of lawyers protesting against the Advocates Amendment Bill is falsely shared as them protesting against the Waqf Amendment Act.