Garhshankar Bar Assn up in arms over shifting of police stations

Sanjiv Kumar Bakshi

Garhshankar (Hoshiarpur), December 5

A day after strike by the Hoshiarpur Bar Association, demanding not to shift Chabbewal and Mehtiana police station villages, the advocates of Garhshankar today retaliated over the issue.

Lawyers at Garhshankar, led by the Bar Association president Pankaj Kirpal observed a strike demanding that Chabbewal and Mehatiana police stations be connected to Garhshankar courts.

Pankaj Kirpal said all the villages of Chabbewal and 44 villages of Mehatiana police station were part of the Garshshankar sub-division so their cases could be heard at Garhshankar courts. They said the demand was not for the removal of any village of Hoshiarpur sub-division but only that Garhshankar division’s 122 villages be connected to Garhshankar courts.

“Garhshankar sub-division is among the oldest in Punjab but it has always received a step-motherly treatment. We demand that by combining Garhshankar, Mahilpur, Chabbewal and Mehtiana, Garshankar should be given the status of a district and till the formation of the district courts, the appeals of Garhshankar courts should be heard at the SBS Nagar district courts. It would be easier for the people because the distance of Garhshankar is 40 km from Hoshiarpur and while it is only 10 km away from Nawanshahr.”

He said that by linking the appeals in courts at Garhshankar sub division with Nawanshahr, will also help the people gain access to a host of facilities. According to Kirpal, the demand would be placed before Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court too would be met in this regard.

He alleged that some lawyers of the Hoshiarpur Bar Association were trying to influence the judiciary, administration and the police by quoting the number of lawyers in Hoshiarpur as 600. If required, the number would go up to 6,000 in case a struggle was to be launched.

Sanjeev Kalia, secretary, Sanjeev Kumar Banga, vice-president, Sanjeev Dodd, Ranbir Singh Bedi, Surinder Pal, cashier, Harpreet Singh, Raj Kumar Bhatti, Pawan Kumar Rai, Gurdeep Singh Saini, Harpreet Walia, Avinash Sharma, Satpal, Naresh Kumar Bhatti, Chaudhary Bhagu Ram, Jasvir Singh Rai and Satish Lamb were also present on the occasion.