The Supreme Court Bar Association Executive Committee on Friday expressed concern over last week’s Central Bureau of Investigation raids against senior advocates Indira Jaising and Anand Grover, for alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act by their non-governmental organisation Lawyers’ Collective, Live Law reported.

“SCBA EC expresses its concern over the raids and search operations conducted by CBI at the residences and offices in Delhi and Mumbai, of its two senior members known for their human rights work and public cause litigations,” the statement by President Senior Advocate Rakesh Kumar Khanna said. “There should not be any interference with the independence and professional discharge of duties of an advocate.”

On Thursday, more than a hundred Supreme Court lawyers had written to the Supreme Court Bar Association, asking it to condemn the July 11 raids on Jaising and Grover. The advocates said that Jaising and Grover have consistently upheld the rule of law and the cause of justice. They expressed solidarity with the two advocates “in the face of clear abuse of process by the state machinery”.

The Bar Association of India had on Monday condemned the searches and called the CBI’s action “excessive, disproportionate and unjustified”.

Last month, the agency had filed a case against Grover and Lawyers Collective for alleged discrepancies in the utilisation of foreign aid. Grover is a trustee and director of Lawyers Collective. Jaising, who is married to Grover, is a trustee and secretary of the organisation.

Jaising had last week said she was being targeted along with her husband for their human rights work over the years. Lawyers Collective has said the FIR has “no basis in fact and in law” and has been filed to target and silence its office bearers for the cases they have taken up in the past.