HC summons 3 Kashmir lawyers over complaints of misconduct

THE GOVERNMENT HAS ACCUSED THE LAWYERS OF BEING PROSECESSIONISTS; SUMMONED ON DECEMBER 17

SRINAGAR: The Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh high court has summoned three prominent lawyers of Kashmir, who have in past held top positions in the Kashmir High Court Bar Association, following a complaint of ‘professional misconduct’ by the government.

A disciplinary committee of the court has issued separate summons to Mian Qayoom, Nazir Ahmad Ronga and GN Thoker alias Shaheen following the complaint of professional and other misconduct against them by secretary to the government, department of law, justice and parliamentary affairs, Achal Sethi.

“You are hereby summoned to appear before the disciplinary committee on December 17 at 10.30am at the high court of J&K and Ladakh at Srinagar in the above-titled complaint,” read the order by the court.

Qayoom and Ronga have held posts of presidents of Bar associations while Shaheen was its general secretary.

The summons by the committee comprising high court judges Sanjeev Kumar, Sanjay Dhar and Muhammad Akram Chowdhary mentioned that the complaint filed by Achal Sethi for “initiating disciplinary action against the three advocates ... for committing professional and other misconduct under the Advocates Act” was presented before them by the registrar general of the court “under the orders of Lord Chief Justice”.

“Having gone through the contents of the complaint and the material placed on record, we are of the view that prima facie, the allegations levelled by the law secretary against the above-named advocates constitute professional and other misconduct,” it said and sought their reply before the next date of hearing.

Qayoom, in his 70s, was released from his nearly yearlong incarceration under the Public Safety Act (PSA) in July 2020 after he was detained from his house in Srinagar on August 5, 2019. Likewise, Qayoom and Ronga were also detained under the PSA.

The authorities have been accusing the lawyers of being pro-secessionists.