BCI’s fact-finding committee visits Jammu, Kathua

Tribune News Service

Jammu, April 19

A fact-finding team of the Bar Council of India (BCI) on Thursday began its visit to Jammu and Kathua areas “to look into the overall conduct of lawyers” and find out whether lawyers obstructed the Crime Branch from filing a chargesheet in the Kathua rape and murder case.

The team, comprising former BCI chief Tarun Agarwal, BCI co-chairmen S Prabakaran and Ramachandra G Shah, and members Razia Beig of the Bar Council of Uttrakhand and Naresh Dikshit, an advocate, also met the members of Jammu and Kathua Bar Associations and noted their viewpoint. The team is also scheduled to meet the rape victim’s family, witnesses in the case and locals before submitting its report. The visit was scheduled to begin on April 20 but it came a day early. “We have met some members of the Jammu Bar Association and will meet more persons to find out as to why they observed strike. We will also find out whether Jammu lawyers obstructed the victim’s lawyer from the appearing in the court,” one of the members told reporters here. He said they would also meet the victim’s family and the overall conduct of lawyers would be looked into. “We will be submitting our report to the Supreme Court within three days,” he added. In Kathua, the BCI team had a closed-door meeting with Bar members there and listened to their viewpoint.

BS Slathia, president, Jammu Bar Association, said there was a complete “distortion of facts” by the national media vis-à-vis their strike for deportation of Rohingya refugees and withdrawal of controversial minutes of the Tribal Affairs Department.