KV Correspondent

Lawyers strike work in Courts across Kashmir

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Work in courts across Kashmir Valley came to a grinding halt on Friday after the Bar Association Kashmir vowed to continue their strike until the Bar Association president Mian Qayoom returns home from New Delhi where he has been summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The court work continued to remain affected for the second consecutive day today due to the strike called by High Court Bar Association, Kashmir.

“Today, a General Body of the J&K High Court Bar Association Srinagar, met at J&K High Court Srinagar, where they discussed the continuous questioning and harassment of Bar President M. A. Qayoom by NIA at New Delhi,” said a spokesman.

“It was decided that strike shall continue till the President Bar Association returns back from New Delhi,” a spokesman of Bar said.

Qayoom appeared before NIA at its headquarters in New Delhi on Thursday. According to the reports, Qayoom was interrogated for seven hours by the investigating agency and was asked to report on Friday for further questioning.

Earlier, Courts across Kashmir valley observed strike when Qayoom was summoned by the NIA on September 6.

The HC Bar Association on September 7 also wrote an open letter to Chief Justice of India, Justice Dipak Misra, alleging that efforts were being made to frame Advocate Qayoom to prevent him from urging the cause of the people.

The letter further explained the reasons behind the strike in all courts called by the Bar Association for four days last week.

The Bar Association in the letter to CJI had said that even though Advocate Qayoom has been summoned as a witness, they have reason to believe that there is more than what meets the eye.

The Bar Association had alleged that for quite some time now a new policy has emerged of involving men of consequence in criminal cases so as to prevent them from urging the cause of the people.

Meanwhile, Lawyers came out in procession from High Court as well as from District Court Complex Srinagar, denouncing the “continuous harassment” of the Bar leadership.

The spokesman said that lawyers across the valley supported the programme issued by Bar Association and continued their protest and strike on 15th September 2017.

Meanwhile, sources within the Bar Association said that its President Advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom has been given a clean chit by the NIA in the terror funding row.

“After questioning Advocate Qayoom for about six hours on second consecutive day the NIA gave clean chit to him. The Bar President had gone to Delhi along with his team of seven advocates to face the NIA queries. He will be returning home today,” the sources added.


KV Correspondent

Kashmir Correspondent cover all daily updates for the newspaper

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