Lawyers to intensify agitation, strike set to go on indefinitely

JAMMU: After remaining silent for almost a week giving air to speculation of their protest fizzling out, the lawyers in Jammu region, who are on an indefinite strike for the last one month against the government decision to divest the judicial courts of its powers to register various documents, on Monday decided to continue their agitation demanding revocation of the order.
President of Jammu chapter of J&K High Court Bar Association (JKHCBA) Abhinav Sharma said the decision to continue the ongoing strike was unanimously taken at the General House meeting of the association.
The JKHCBA, Jammu, held the General House meeting in the conference hall of district court complex Janipur here under the chairmanship of Sharma, who is also the spokesperson of the Jammu and Kashmir unit of the BJP.
"The strike will continue and we are going to intensify it further till the power to register various documents is restored back to the judicial magistrates," Sharma told reporters after the meeting.
On October 23, the State Administrative Council (SAC) headed by then Governor Satya Pal Malik accorded sanction to the creation of a new department, under the overall administrative control of revenue department, to provide hassle free and speedy service to the citizens for registration of documents pertaining to immovable property like sale, gift, mortgage, lease and bequest.
Earlier, the revenue department was involved in only issuance of ''Fard Intikhab (authentication of property with reference to original record) and cost estimation of land on the ground of which registry of the same was being done by judicial officers.
The judicial work in the High Court and its subordinate courts in most parts of Jammu region was badly hit since the lawyers went on indefinite strike on November 1 to press for its demand for roll back of the order.
On November 25, the association sought support from the civil society in its agitation but was instead suggested not to intensify further their agitation.
Since then, the bar association had kept silent, making many believe that their agitation is all but over.
The speculations further gained weight when at a conference on Saturday last, Union Minister Jitendra Singh while referring to the demands raised by different sections including the lawyers, said "we are not going to succumb because there will be no end to it if one demand is met."
When quizzed today, Abhinav Sharma said his party president Ravinder Raina had written a letter to the lieutenant Governor G C Murmu seeking a review of the decision for the benefit of the people.
"The BJP is supporting our strike which is evident from the letter of my party president (Raina)," he said.