Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): The Jammu and Kashmir police has started a crackdown on the High Court Bar Association by arresting four of its senior members even as the advocates' body was preparing for its internal elections. These arrests follow after the High Court and LG administration recognised another advocate's body in the Valley.
Police arrested former general secretary of the bar Mohammad Ashraf Bhat from his residence under the stringent Public Safety Act days after the arrest of acting bar chairman Nazir Ahmad Ronga, senior member Mian Muzaffar and former Bar president Mian Qayoom.
Reports said that Bhat was arrested from his residence in Rawalpora in Srinagar city on Wednesday night and booked under the PSA. He has been shifted to Kathua jail in Jammu. Police are yet to make any statement about Bhat's arrest.
Police first arrested Mian Qayoom, who was repeatedly elected bar president for 20 years, in connection with the murder of advocate Babar Qadri in 2020. The police issued a statement about Qayoom's arrest but has been tight-lipped over the arrests of Ronga, Muzaffar and Bhat.
The bar, which had more than registered 2000 members, was run by the executive body which had president, vice president, general secretary, joint Secretary and treasurer and executive council.
These arrests follow after the Jammu and Kashmir High Court and the LG administration granted recognition to Kashmir Advocates Association, while as sought clarification from the bar association over its constitution which had maintained Kashmir a "dispute" and sought its resolution through dialogue, when the bar was mulling its internal elections. The District Magistrate Srinagar Bilal Mohiudin had restricted the bar from holding the elections and sought clarification from it.
However, the bar in its communication to the District Magistrate Srinagar clarified that it has removed the "Kashmir dispute" term from its constitution and will work for the lawyers welfare. The bar's election commission had issued a notification for holding its internal elections but later it withdrew the notification after the arrest spree.
The Bar association was a part of the separatist amalgam Hurriyat Conference but has been silent after the administration launched a major crackdown against separatists and bar members weeks before abrogation of article 370. Ronga and Qayoom were arrested ahead of the abrogation of article 370 on August 5, 2019 and were released after two years.
Jammu and Kashmir had two bar associations- one in Jammu wing of the high court and second in Kashmir wing of the court. While the Jammu wing is functioning properly, the Kashmir wing is being dismantled and the body faces major challenges before it could hold its internal elections.
