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Registration of FIR: Jammu and Kashmir HC bar body stages protest against Ghagwal SDM
Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association president Vikram Sharma said that instead of redressing the genuine grievances of members of Samba Bar Association, the lodging of FIR against them is itself reflective of sheer arrogance of the SDM.
The J&K High Court Bar Association (Jammu) on Friday staged a protest against lodging of an FIR against lawyers of Samba Bar Association by the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Ghagwal, Sunaina Saini.
Protesting lawyers also demanded an independent sub-registrar.
Bar president Vikram Sharma said that instead of redressing the genuine grievances of members of Samba Bar Association, the lodging of FIR against them is itself reflective of sheer arrogance of the SDM.
“Advocates have an onerous responsibility of pursuing cause of justice and for seeking the upholding of law and therefore their valuable assistance cannot be snubbed by implicating them in false FIRs. It was unfortunate that even female advocates have been implicated in the FIR,” he added.
He lamented that by lodging FIR against the lawyers, SDM was only adopting and instigating confrontation, which was not a healthy sign for the overall working, growth and delivery system of the institution.
He urged the government to implement its own order issued in 2019 by which a separate and independent registering department for the purposes of Registration Act, had been sanctioned.
On July 31 a group of lawyers stormed the office of SDM Ghagwal and had staged a protest against her alleged “authoritarian” behaviour.
However, the SDM had refuted all the allegations.
“It was a mob attack by these lawyers. They intentionally damaged the camera before entering my office. They had intentionally brought female lawyers, whom I saw for the first time,” she said.
“A few days ago, a lawyer had abused me. He was insisting me to accept an illegal document, (an old and outdated agriculture certificate) for a registry. I had filed an FIR against him for his illegal behaviour. Harbouring mala fide intentions, these lawyers entered my office today. They cut wires of a camera intentionally so that it doesn’t work, damaged doors and heckled my PSO,” she had said.
