Lawyers stage protest in Poonch against insult to judge by Indian police
Jammu: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Bar Association Poonch has staged a protest against an insult to an Additional District and Sessions Judge by Indian police at Surankote bypass, in what lawyers described as growing impunity among the police.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Additional District and Sessions Judge Poonch, Mir Wajahat, was stopped by police personnel at Surankote bypass on August 17 while returning to Poonch after leave. Lawyers said the police attempted to take the keys of his vehicle and misbehaved with him despite the vehicle displaying a judicial flag and the judge identifying himself.
The incident required the intervention of judicial officers, with a judge from Surankote reaching the spot initially, followed by the Chief Judicial Magistrate Poonch, who took the Additional District and Sessions Judge from the location.
The Bar Association condemned the incident as an affront not only to an individual judge but to the entire judiciary.
Lawyers staged a protest, raised slogans against the Indian police and suspended court work, including in Revenue Courts, along with Bar Associations of Surankote and Mendhar.
General Secretary of the Poonch Bar Association Tahir Mehmood said the incident demonstrated unacceptable police high-handedness. Advocate Mobeen, who reached the spot shortly afterwards, also alleged that he witnessed the “high-handedness” of police officials.
The Bar Association subsequently held an emergency meeting and adopted a resolution demanding disciplinary as well as criminal action against the officials involved. The resolution was forwarded to the Registrar General of the High Court for placing it before the Chief Justice, besides being sent to the Director General of Police and senior police officers of the Rajouri-Poonch range.
Bar Association President Sunil Sharma said the lawyers had given the authorities an ultimatum to take action against those responsible and resolve the matter, warning that further steps would follow if their demands were not met.
