New Delhi, May 8 (IANS): The Executive Committee (EC) of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Friday suspended its Secretary Ashok Arora with immediate effect in a meeting held through an online conference.

The decision to suspend was taken by the EC a day after Arora had called an emergent general meeting (EGM) of the lawyers' body on May 11 to deliberate on the removal of senior advocate Dushyant Dave from the post of SCBA President.

The EGM was cancelled by the EC and a three-member panel has been set up to examine the allegations leveled against Arora, said a senior official of the SCBA. The decision of the EC to suspend Arora was taken by the majority, and Dave abstained from voting.

Arora in a statement said on May 7, Dave had claimed that no general body could remove him as he was elected for a year, but today a few members of the SCBA took the illegal action to suspend the Secretary. "There is documentary evidence to show that the President and his men/women in the EC intimidated me from time to time for which I reserve my right to initiate legal action. They suspended me on vague and baseless allegation. In fact their undemocratic action damaged the reputation of this prestigious Bar", said Arora.

He insisted that there is no provision, in the SCBA rules, to suspend a duly elected secretary.

The friction emerged among the top office-bearers in the SCBA over the statement made by Supreme Court judge Justice Arun Mishra on February 22, praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi at International Judicial Conference-2020.

On February 25, Dave had issued a "resolution", allegedly signed by several members of the SCBA expressing anguish over Justice Mishra's statements. Arora had claimed that no resolution was passed, as he did not sign the statement released to the media.

"The SCBA believes that the independence of the judiciary is the basic structure under the Constitution of India and that such independence be preserved in letter and spirit", said the resolution.