HC unhappy with Hubballi Bar Association's resolution to not represent Kashmiri students slapped with sedition

The high court on Wednesday expressed displeasure over the resolution adopted by the Hubballi Bar Association against representing three Kashmiri students booked for sedition.

Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by B T Venkatesh and 24 other lawyers challenging the resolution of the bar association, a division bench of Chief Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Hemant Chandanagoudar expressed unhappiness over the resolution.

Hearing the matter, Chief Justice Oka said: "I had said that Hubballi has the best court building in the state. What is the use of such a building when such things happen inside it?"

The court observed: "Even Ajmal Kasab (terrorist) was given a full trial by appointing senior lawyers to represent him. But here, lawyers are not allowed to appear before the court to submit the bail petition on behalf of the accused."

On Monday, when lawyers representing the Kashmiri students visited the court in Dharwad to file the bail applications, they were heckled by local colleagues and forced to return without filing the bail petitions despite the court’s order to provide them protection.

Replying to the bench, Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi said he would personally speak to the office bearers of the bar association and try to resolve the issue.

The bench also indicated that it might transfer the case to Bengaluru if the situation continued.

It directed the advocate general to request the office bearers of the association to be present before the court and posted the matter to February 27.