The Kathua Bar Association has refused to provide legal aid to Dal Khalsa leader, Simranjit Singh Mann who had moved a petition against the District Magistrate Kathua’s order that barred the Dal Khalsa leader from entering Jammu Kashmir.
Mann who was camping on the border of Jammu Kashmir with Punjab at Lakhanpur for the past four days against the District Magistrate’s order has moved back to Punjab on Thursday.
The district Bar Association refused to offer legal assistance to Simranjit Singh Mann stating that they did not agree with his ideology.
“It has been clarified that District Bar Association Kathua neither providing any legal aid by way of revision/appeal against the order of the District Magistrate Kathua prohibiting the movement of Sh. Simranjit Singh Mann Hon’ble Member of Parliament of India by road, from Lok Sabha Sangrur (Punjab) nor believed in the ideology of his political party Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) which is prima facie against the spirit/moral values of the Constitution of India and secular & plural values of India,” Bar Association Kathua said in a press release.
“However the District Bar Association further clarified that any individual Advocate may or may not provide legal aid to Sh. Simranjit Singh Mann Hon’ble MP in his own capacity(under Advocate’s Act) which the District Bar Association does not own,” the press release further read.
A lawyer, however, in his personal capacity, filed the petition challenging the district magistrate’s order.
“The court has scheduled the case for hearing on 14 November 2022 and sought a response from DM’s office,” Advocate Trilok Nath Gupta said.
Meanwhile, Dal Khalsa members condemned the decision of the court and said, “the Session court deliberately delayed the matter to 14 Nov 2022. “When was the last time the people of Jammu Kashmir voted a Sikh to the parliament or barring few when was the last time you saw a Sikh sitting in Legislative Assembly. Also, has any of the non-Sikh parliamentarian elected from J&K ever spoke for Sikh causes. So, as Sikhs the people will definitely look for other Sikh leaders from Panjab to highlight the issue of the micro minority Sikh community of J&K in the Parliament,” Dal Khalsa said in a press release issued to The Kashmiriyat
Condemning the denial of legal aid to Simranjit Singh Mann, the spokesman said, “Isn’t that sheer hatred that as an advocate you deny anyone’s right to Justice?”
Is the administration so afraid that Simranjit Singh Mann will present the real picture of J&K, far from normalcy, in the Indian parliament, that how scams are happening, how Kashmiris are dying in targeted killings, how the rights and issues of the Sikh Community are being suppressed, the spokesman asked.
Meanwhile, prominent Kashmiri Sikh Activist spoke to The Kashmiriyat and said that not allowing Simranjit Singh Mann to enter JK exposes many tall claims of the GoI. All this happening with MP S Simranjit Singh Mann is a mirror of how minorities are treated in India.
“It is very sad and disheartening to see Simranjit Singh Mann leave without being able to meet people,” Angad said.