Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 3: Hundreds of lawyers on Wednesday staged a protest outside Raj Bhavan here in support of their demands, including construction of a multi-storey building for housing various tribunals and offices within the court complex.
The Jammu chapter of J&K High Court Bar Association (JKHCBAJ) organized the hour-long protest and threatened to intensify their agitation if Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha-led administration did not pay attention towards its demands.
“We had submitted a memorandum of our demands to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha in November last year, but it seems the Government has lost the papers, forcing us to abstain from work and come on the roads to highlight our issues,” JKHCBA (Jammu chapter) president M K Bhardwaj told reporters here.
Earlier, the lawyers abstained from work and took out a bike rally from the High Court complex in Janipur to Raj Bhavan. They were carrying national flags and chanting slogans in support of their demands.
“Due to the shifting of the courts and tribunals outside the district court complex, lawyers’ fraternity and general public are facing insurmountable hardships. We are seeking the housing of the different tribunals in a single multi-dimensional complex of High Court where adequate space is available besides the district and muffasil courts across Jammu and Kashmir,” Bhardwaj said.
He said many of the cases remain unattended due to the scattered nature of the tribunal, offices of sub-registrars and other allied institutions. Bhardwaj urged the administration to take immediate appropriate steps to resolve all the long pending demands of the lawyers’ fraternity.
Later in the afternoon, the LG administration sent their Additional Deputy Commissioner Satish Sharma for talks with the team of Bar Association. The meeting also attended by SP City Kulbir Handa and other senior police officers, last for one hour all the issued were discussed and the office bearers of the Association re-submitted the memorandum of demands. The team of Government officers representing the Administration assured the lawyers that the Administration shall give utmost priority and due consideration to their demands.
Meanwhile, leaders of the political parties, social organizations and prominent citizens extended support to the demands of the J&K High Court Bar Association, Jammu. They are Arun Gupta (president, Chamber of Commerce), Ved Raj Wazir (senior Advocate & former president JKHCBAJ), HC Jalmeria (Advocate), MR Qureshi (PDP), Rattan Lal Gupta (provincial president NC), Zorawar Singh (Press Club & Team Jammu), Manjit Singh (Apni Party), Ved Parkash Sharma (president, Brahman Sabha), TS Tony (AAP leader), Ankur Sharma (Ikkjut Jammu), Chander Mohan Sharma (Tawi Andolan), Rajan Singh Happy (president, Yuva Rajput Sabha), Vilakshan Singh (NPP), Rajinder Singh Taj (president, PHE, United Front Daily Wagers), Wazir Singh (PDP), Amrik Singh Reen Sahib (PDP), Gaurav Gupta (secretary general, Chamber of Commerce), Rajeev Gupta (vice president, Chamber of Commerce), Rajesh Gupta (treasurer, Chamber of Commerce), Rajesh Gupta (secretary, Chamber of Commerce), Sham Lal Bassan (president, All J&K Dalit Chetna Manch and Corporator Bahu Fort), Gourav Chopra (Corporator), Amit Gupta, (Corporator), Inder Singh (Corporator), Sanjeev Kumar Sareen (Legal Incharge, AAP Jammu province), Hoshiar Singh Chib (PHE), Narinder Singh, Jagdish Kumar Sharma (Corporator), Rajeev Jamwal (Yuva Rajput Sabha) and Raghuvir Singh (Yuva Rajput Sabha).
Later in the evening, Bar Association decided that the work shall remain suspended in all courts on 4th and 5th August in support of their demands.
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