Lawyers hold Dharna demanding open entry in courts

STATE TIMES NEWS

JAMMU: The agitation of lawyers practicing in Jammu wing of J&K High Court and Subordinate Courts completed 51 days on Saturday. The lawyers Action Committee has been carrying ahead agitation since October 15, 2020 in protest against continued closure of their entry into High Court completely and partially in Subordinate Courts besides no entry of public since March 2020 and on some other issues.
Speaking on the occasion, the protesting lawyers said that continued closure of doors of High Court and partially of subordinate Courts since ending March 2020 has affected adversely judicial system, lawyers and justice-seeking public. When other fields of human activity including Government offices, business, politics and elections, marriage functions, proceedings of parliament and assemblies, cinema halls, liquor bars, bus and air transport etc have been resumed and functioning since long after lockdown, lawyers and public were hoping opening of courts. But to their utter surprise and dismay, previous orders of J&K High Court for closure of entry of lawyers and public in courts have been extended till middle of December, they added.
The 8-point demand charter of lawyers included, opening of all courts for physical entry to lawyers and public, resume physical hearing, accepting hard copies of cases, opening locked Bar Rooms of lawyers, providing stamp papers and tickets within court premises through stamp vendors, immediate opening of Consumer Courts, shifting back Registry of Documents to Judicial Officers, withdrawing contempt initiated against some lawyers and holding immediate election to J&K Bar Council.
The eminent lawyers present in the Dharna included Advocates B S Manhas, J A Kazmi (former Vice President Jammu Bar), S C Subash, H C Jalmeria Convener Action Committee, Rajinder Kumar, C S Gupta (former Secretary Jammu Bar), Vinod Abrol, K B Gupta, S P Bakshi, Shah Mohd Choudhary, A S Azad, Subodh Singh Jamwal, J P Sharma, Madan Lal, K S Parihar, Rajinder Singh Jamwal, P S Pawar, Manohar Gupta, Surjit Singh Andotra, Jyoti Sarup, Jaswinder Singh, R S Durswal, Manohar Lal, Ashwani Kumar, Kunal Singh Chib, Jasbir Singh Wazir, Leena Devi, I H Bhat, Gagandeep Singh, Bhanu Jasrotia, Gourab Sharma, S Z Ahmed, Atul Raina, Kamal Magotra, Rashid Abrar Khan, Muzaffar Ali Shah, Vinay Raina, Mohd Aamir Awan and Rokmesh Parihar.