Lawyers, law clerks and law students from across the state — irrespective of their political affiliations —walked from Calcutta High Court to the city civil court on Monday to protest the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

Arunava Ghosh, Congress spokesman and high court advocate; Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, former Calcutta mayor, CPM leader and advocate; and Bhaskar Baiswa and Prasun Dutta, Trinamul legal cell leaders, led the rally.

“Lawyers are citizens of India first. As citizens of the country, all sections of society have been protesting against this anti-people act. So, we the lawyers have come forward,” Ghosh said. “I am sure the central government will not be able to implement the act.”

“The amended act, which is contrary to the provisions laid down in the Indian Constitution, is creating divisions in society,” Bhattacharyya said. “So, lawyers in general joined the rally today.”

The rally moved through Old Post Office Street and Kiran Shankar Roy Road before ending near the city civil court.

Dutta, who is a member of the West Bengal Bar Council, too, said lawyers irrespective of their political affiliations had joined the rally. “Lawyers always come forward when administrations try to impose any anti-people law on citizens.”

The leaders hinted that a larger protest rally would be held shortly.

“Most of the lawyers did not turn up today on hearing the news of our colleague Shibaji Sen’s death. Normal functioning of the court has been suspended as a mark of respect,” a lawyer who was part of the rally said. “Or else, all high court lawyers would have joined the rally.”

Law clerks and law students, who were part of the rally, said they would join any protest organised by lawyers against the CAA.