Srinagar: The Kathua Principal District and Sessions Judge submitted a report in the Supreme Court against the Bar Council of India's clean chit to lawyers who did not allow crime branch officials to file a chargesheet in the rape and murder case of an eight-year-old. The report was backed by an affidavit filed by the Registrar General of J&K High Court.
On Thursday, the Bar Council of India in its report to the Supreme Court said that the Kathua Bar council lawyers did not try to stall crime branch officials, led by SSP crime Ramesh Kumar Jalla, in a local court on April 9.
The report submitted by the Sessions Judge and the affidavit filed by Registrar General of J&K High Court before the Supreme Court both claim the lawyers had interfered and stalled the proceeding.
The operative part in the report reads: “As soon as Crime Branch team arrived in the premises of court, a group of lawyers resorted to massive and intense protest demonstrations.” The report, a copy of which is with News18, was submitted by Principal District and Sessions Judge Sanjeev Gupta.
The report is also endorsed by the affidavit filed by Registrar General of J&K High CourtSanjay Dhar.
“The obstruction was caused by advocates of Bar Association Kathua at the time of presentation of challan during court hours," says the affidavit. “The accused had to be produced before the chief judicial magistrate at his residence after 7:45 pm."
"Even as the identity of lawyers could not be ascertained, police have filed an FIR into the incident,” the affidavit adds.
The High Court also requested the Sessions Judge to give details of advocates who participated in massive demonstrations in the court, it further reads.
The report says even after court timings was over, the protesting lawyers didn’t relent and continued their protests outside the residence of CJM Kathua.
The Kathua Bar Association in its own statement on April 9, which is in possession of News18, had claimed that it forced the Crime Branch to go back without filing chargesheet in the court.
Furthermore, there is video evidence of the lawyers crowding the court and raising slogans. It was widely telecasted on television channels.
So far, eight persons including four policemen have been arrested in connection with the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu’s Kathua district. Crime Branch investigations revealed that the girl was raped and murdered on January 17 after being held captive and drugged in a temple.
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