April 15,2018:
BCI has constituted five-member panel headed by Former HC Chief Justice to inquire into alleged misconduct by lawyers.
On Sunday, Bar Council of India (BCI) asked Bar Associations of Kathua and Jammu to call off their strike and constituted a five-member committee headed by a former High Court Chief Justice to inquire into alleged misconduct by the lawyers there in connection with the Kathua rape and murder case.
Decision was taken at BCI’s General body meeting held in backdrop of Supreme Court’s suo motu cognisance of issue and subsequent issuance of notices to the bar associations and the J&K Govt, seeking response by April 19.
On April 13, Supreme Court took cognisance of alleged efforts made by the local lawyers to obstruct filing of a chargesheet in the case with the intention of derailing the police investigation.
Bar Council of India has termed the matter as “very sensitive and serious”.
Bar Council of India has stated that Committee headed by Former High Court Chief Justice Tarun Agarwal and comprising two BCI Co-Chairmen S. Prabakaran and Rameshchandra G. Shah; Former Bar Council of Uttarakhand chief Razia Beig; and Patna High Court advocate Naresh Dixit had been set up.
Committee will visit Jammu, Kathua and other places on April 20 to verify the allegations. It will interact with members and office-bearers of the bar associations concerned and also with the eight-year-old victim’s relatives.
Council has requested the committee to submit its report at the earliest.
Statement has stated that,“The office was directed to make a request to the Advocate on Record (AOR) in the Supreme Court to pray for a short adjournment, so that the report of the committee could be placed before the Court”.
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