Three extremist Kashmir lawyers face legal action
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Srinagar: The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has, for the first time since 1989, filed a dossier of "professional misconduct" and indulgence in secessionist activities against three leading lawyers, including the former president of the High Court bar association of Kashmir, Mian Abdul Qayoom, before the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, seeking appropriate action against them under the Advocates Act, 1961.
The three-judge Disciplinary Committee of the High Court has stated: "Having gone through the contents of the complaint and material placed on record, we are of the view that, prima facie, the allegations levelled by the Law Secretary against the three Advocates constitute professional and other misconduct."
It issued notices to the three advocates for their reply by or before the next date of hearing on December 17. It also issued notice to the complainant Union Territory Law Secretary Achal Sethi's and the Advocate General DC Raina.
This could well be the beginning of the process of cancellation of the licences to practice law of the three leading advocates of the so-called 'Azadi' in Kashmir.
On Sethi's complaint and orders of the disciplinary committee -- comprising Justice Sanjeev Kumar, Justice Sanjay Dhar and Justice Mohammad Akram Choudhary -- the High Court registry has summoned senior advocates Mian Abdul Qayoom, Nazir Ahmad Ronga and Ghulam Nabi Thoker alias Shaheen for their explanation. Legal experts believe that dissatisfaction of the disciplinary committee, in the absence of a Bar Council which does not exist in J&K, could straightaway lead to termination of the licences of the respondents.
Messers Qayoom, Ronga and Shaheen have functioned as presidents of High Court Bar association of Kashmir (HCBA) which was a general council constituent of the separatist All-Party Hurriyat Conference (APHC) from 1993 till the amalgam's split in 2003. Pursuing Hurriyat's ideology, holding demonstrations for 'Azadi' and euphemistically calling for a "resolution of the Kashmir dispute under the UN resolutions or tripartite talks", HCBA operated as an individual organisation after 2003 and did not join either of the two factions of the Hurriyat Conference. However, neither the Hurriyat nor HCBA have been banned till date. Qayoom, Ronga and Shaheen have been summoned as individual legal practitioners.