Jammu Tawi, June 19: In spite of Jammu Courts observing holidays, a group of Lawyers today gathered in the Jammu Courts complex and held a protest against the proposed shifting of J&K High Court to Raika, a ‘forest area'. Advocates expressed their deep concern over the issue of shifting the J&K High Court to Raika from the existing location at Janipur, Jammu. They held the decision wrong as ample space is available at the existing location for all sorts of further expansion of the High Court and other special courts.
A press release issued here said that the majority of the advocates claiming to be members Bar Association have been working both at the High Court and in the District/Subordinate courts and are against the shifting of the existing High Court to the proposed area, which they termed would be inconvenient to public and also a forest area.
The protesting advocates further said that shifting only the High Court complex while not shifting other courts would cause serious hardships not only to the Advocates but to the general public and litigants, especially the old age and female litigants.
The protesting lawyers strongly opposed the decision and termed it a gross misuse of the public exchequer as there is ample space for extension of the present Court premises at the current location in Janipur.
It is voiced in the meeting that if a new complex is added to the existing location of the High Court, it would be sufficient infrastructure for housing Institutions like the Special Tribunal, Armed Forces Tribunal, Consumers Commission and other statutory Tribunals which would facilitate all the sections of the society including the Advocates and litigants.
Lawyers recalled that the Hon'ble Lt. Governor J&K, Manoj Sinha had assured for not shifting of the existing High Court premises. The Lawyers said their 'fraternity unanimously decided that they would hold protests in National Capital at Jantar Mantar if their just and genuine demands were not heard and catered to. Meanwhile, Advocate HC Jalmaria, told over the telephone that the lawyers have also sent a formal communication to the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India seeking his intervention in this serious matter and for cancelling the proposal.
However, the office bearers of the official J&K High Court Bar Association were conspicuous by their absence.
Those who are present in the meeting are former Vice President Mohinderpal Singh Pali, Vice President Young Lawyers Association Gagandeep Singh and General Secretary Yashir Khan along with Baldev Singh, Umesh Sharma, Narinder Sharma, Pawan Kundal, Harmeet Mehta, Bharamdev Singh, Varinder Singh, Bhanu Singh, Zafar Choudhary, Raghubir Singh Ravinder Kumar, Ajay Sharma, Vir Ranshore, Ranjeet Kumar, Bindu sir, Sukhvinder Singh, Subodh Singh, Arvind Bandral, Zamir Muslim, Banu Bandral, Shrish Pal Mengi and others.
