J&K High Court Bar Association Srinagar condemned the ‘unwarranted and illegal’ arrest of Advocate Shabir Ahmad Bukhari, member lawyer of the Bar Association, by the State Police authorities and described the arrest of the assault on judiciary and lawyers.
A General Body meeting of the Bar Association was held at High Court complex, wherein the lawyers expressed deep concern on the arrest of the advocate and demanded his immediate release.
Taking serious note of the illegal arrest of Bukhari, the members of the Bar Association decided to abstain from appearing before the Courts including the High Court in protest against arrest of the advocate Bukhari.
Accordingly the work remained suspended by the members in the High Court as well as in the Courts subordinate to it at Moominabad. Besides the members of District Bar Association Budgam supported the call of the High Court Bar Association Srinagar.
Addressing the general body meeting the general secretary of the Bar Association GN Shaheen informed the members that Bukhari is reported to have been called on telephone by the IGP Kashmir, to present himself before him by 2:00 p.m. on Saturday 12 May 2018. The advocate voluntarily presented himself before the police authorities and since then his whereabouts were not known and was missing in custody, which has forced the lawyers to go for the protest strike demanding immediate release of the advocate. The advocate is a human rights defender and his arrest seems an interruption in due discharge of the professional duties, besides the assault on freedom of judiciary, the Bar said.
The Bar Association demanded immediate and safe release of Bukhari and in case the authorities do not respond, the Association will be forced to take stringent steps at the risk and cost of the State authorities, the Bar said. The Association also condemned repeated assaults on students of Islamic University of Science and Technology Awantipora.