Jammu, Apr 26 (KNS): The Greater Pir-Panchal Lawyers forum has rejected BCI’s report on the role and conduct of executives of Jammu and Kathua Bar Associations. In a statement issued to KNS, the Forum described the report as unrealistic, influenced and lopsided.
Expressing shock over the observations made by the Committee in its report qua the genuineness of demand of handing over the Rassana case investigation to CBI, the Forum said that BCI had no Constitutional, statutory or moral authority or mandate to make a recommendation seeking transfer of the case to CBI.
Terming the BCI’s observation as unfortunate, the Forum said that its eagerness to echo its voice in tune with the politically motivated demand of a sections of Jammu and Kathua lawyers, speaks volumes about the direction in which the great statutory institution is being taken into.
Raising a question mark on the legitimacy of the BCI Committee, the Forum said that it was not a fact-finding mission created by or under direction from the Hon’ble Apex Court but was formed by the BCI on its own when put to notice by the top court for having failed to take cognizance of illegal activities of lawyers in Jammu and Kathua.
The Forum also questioned the manner and mode of proceedings conducted by the Committee during visit to Jammu and Kathua. “The Committee members presided over gatherings organized by the guilty lawyers in support of their innocence while no acknowledged, justifiable and impartial rules of procedure and mechanism of probe were adopted to reach at any fair conclusion” the press-note read and added that “no attempts were made by the Committee to interview lawyers individually or in groups to make a fair assessment particularly when serious allegations of threats and intimidation were writ large.
The Forum also blamed the Committee for having discarded the concerns raised by various stakeholders including the Forum highlighting the ground realities in its memo supported by voluminous evidence in the form of video clips and documents making rounds in the social and electronic media world over.
The Forum took strong exception to the observations of BCI exonerating Kathua lawyers of obstructing presentation of charge-sheet against the accused and termed it as a blatant lie coined under influence in sheer contrast to what the entire world witnessed through video clips, press-note and social media posts wherein Kathua lawyers have admitted thwarting presentation of the charge sheet in the Kathua Court.
Similarly, obstructions made by lawyers in Jammu courts and their acts of intimidation failed to catch the eyes of BCI Committee members the Forum said and also charged the BCI for having shut its eyes over flagrant violation of the Supreme Court judgment in the case of Capt. Harish Uppal whereby the Apex Court has ruled the lawyers’ strike as illegal. The Forum also described the report as arbitrary and an attempted eyewash and express its resolve to confront the same as intervenor in the matter before the Hon’ble Supreme Court. (KNS)