Bar association to announce further course of action today

Tribune News Service

Jammu, December 12

A day after the Jammu and Kashmir High Court termed their ongoing agitation illegal, the agitating lawyers will announce their future course of action at the general house meeting to be held on Friday morning.

The general house meeting of the J&K High Court Association will be held at 10.30 on Friday morning to discuss the situation after the High Court’s notice to some protesting members of the association.

On Wednesday, the court had issued show-cause notices to some lawyers for locking the district courts and preventing litigants in civil cases, under-trials and lawyers from accessing the courts.

The show-cause notices were issued to advocates Baldev Singh, Nitin Bakshi, Azhar Usman Khan and Mahinder Singh Palli for criminal contempt of court.

A senior member of the association said, “Lawyers are divided on the issue of the continuation of the agitation after Wednesday’s development. Friday’s meeting is very crucial.”.

On Tuesday, the J&K administration had urged lawyers to call off their ongoing strike in the “interest of people” and assured them of making sincere efforts to address their concerns.

The work in the High Court and its subordinate courts has been affected in most parts of the Jammu region after the JKHCBA went on an indefinite strike on November 1 against the government’s decision to divest the judicial courts of their powers to register various documents and vest the same with the Revenue Department.

Within a day after the administration’s appeal, the J&K High Court issued contempt notice to agitating lawyers. While issuing contempt notices, the Bench observed that the conduct of these advocates was a very serious matter and could not be ignored.