Jammu Bar Association: We did not support lawyer protest

The Jammu High Court Bar Association on Thursday told the Supreme Court that it did not support lawyers' protest in connection with the Kathua gang-rape and murder case.

The Bar Council of India (BCI) told a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra that they have constituted a team, headed by a former high court judge, which will visit Kathua to assess the situation relating to lawyers protest.

Meanwhile, the Kathua District Bar Association told the bench, comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, that they had withdrawn the strike on April 12.

Advocate Shoeb Alam, appearing for the state, opposed the tagging of the plea filed by the victim's father, who is seeking the transfer of the case from Kathua to Chandigarh, with the suo motu matter related to lawyers' protest there.

The bench, while clarifying that the administration of justice can't be interfered with, asked the Jammu High Court Bar Association, BCI and others to file their affidavits by April 24 and listed the matter for hearing in the next week.

The apex court had on April 13 took serious note of lawyers obstructing the judicial process in the Kathua case and initiated a case on its own accord, saying such impeding of the process of law "affects the delivery of justice".

The top court had said that lawyers' bodies have solemn duty to not obstruct advocates representing the accused or the victim's family in the courts.

Lawyers had taken to the streets shouting slogans and also tried to block the road outside the court where the charge sheets were filed in the case.