J&K High Court Bar Association Srinagar has constituted a team that will remain present in the Supreme Court on 27th and 28th February when the cases relating to Articles 35-A and 370 are likely to come up, the Bar said in a statement on Saturday. The members of the team are: M. A. Qayoom, President; Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, General Secretary; Bilal Ahmad Wani, Treasurer; Z. A. Shah, Senior Advocate; Z. A. Qureshi, Senior Advocate; Altaf Haqani, Advocate; Shabir Ahmad Budoo, Advocate; Nasir Ahmad Shalla, Advocate; and Syed Musaib, Advocate.
“In a meeting of the Executive Committee members held here today, it was stated that though the case is shown in the weekly list commencing from 26.02.2019 upto 28.02.2019 but as it has not been shown in the daily list issued for 26th of February, 2019, therefore, it is expected to come up for hearing on 27th and/or 28th of February, 2019. The members of the team have accordingly been asked to remain present before the Supreme Court on the aforesaid two dates,” the statement said.
“The executive members also expressed their serious concern over the arrest and detention of Mohammad Yasin Malik, Chairman JKLF and more than 200 activists of Jamat-i-Islami including Dr. Hamid Fayaz, Ameer Jamaat-i-Islami and Zahid Ali, Advocate, its Spokesman, ahead of the hearing of the case by the Supreme Court and demanded that all those who have been arbitrarily and illegally arrested and detained in police stations, interrogation centres and jails should be set free forthwith as it is against the very basic fundamentals of freedom to arrest innocent people and lodge them in jails and/or police stations in violation of their right to life and liberty. It was also decided that the shutdown call given by the pro-freedom leadership for 24th of February, 2019, should be supported and every one should be asked to make it successful,” the Bar Association said.