New Delhi, April 15: A five-member committee of the Bar Council of India (BCI) will visit Kathua city in Jammu and Kashmir and submit a factual report on the case of the rape of a minor girl after seeking time from the Supreme Court on April 19, BCI Chairman Manan Mishra said on Sunday.
The fact-finding team will have former BCI chief Tarun Agarwal, BCI Co-Chairmen S. Prabakaran and Ramachandra G. Shah, and members Razia Beig of the Bar Council of Uttrakhand and Naresh Dikshit, an advocate.
They will visit the state and reach out to office-bearers of the Bar Associations of Jammu and Kathua and also meet the affected families and the common people to figure out what actually transpired, Mishra told reporters here.
He said that the BCI in its Friday meeting had decided to dispatch the team to Kathua on April 20.
"I have communicated this to the President of Bar Associations of Jammu and Kathua. I was given full assurance of an immediate end to the lawyers strike and of full cooperation to the visiting BCI team," he said.
Mishra claimed that the BCI was told that the reason behind the lawyers' protests in Jammu was not to defend the accused but were instead focused against certain laws passed by the Jammu and Kashmir government.
Mishra said if the committee finds misconduct on the part of the lawyers, the BCI has the authority to cancel the licences of those involved in creating the controversy and maligning the legal profession.
"In case some outsiders, not associated with the Bar Council, are involved in creating a controversy, we may not be able to take action against such persons. Our jurisdiction is limited to Bar Council members only. If we find them responsible for obstructing the legal process, we will definitely take action against them by cancelling their registrations for life or for limited period," he added.
The BCI chief said that the follow-up action would be decided once the team files its report.
An eight-year-old Bakarwal girl had gone missing on January 10 while grazing horses in Rasana forest in Kathua's Hiranagar area. Her body was found a week later. Police investigations revealed she was held captive inside a temple, sedated and repeatedly raped before her murder.
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Remarks against Shinde: Comedian Kamra appears before Maharashtra council's privileges committee
Mumbai (PTI): Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra on Tuesday appeared before the Maharashtra legislative council's privileges committee regarding his alleged remarks against Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
However, in the absence of the main complainant, the hearing has been rescheduled to March 10, said the committee's chairperson, Prasad Lad.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare also appeared before the panel.
Kamra and Andhare later informed reporters that their statements were not recorded during the hearing, as BJP leader Pravin Darekar, the main complainant, was absent.
When asked about his reaction to a threat by the Shiv Sena, which had warned him of dire consequences if he visited Mumbai, Kamra said he felt safe.
Lad said, "Kamra told the committee that he was ready to record his statement now. However, it wouldn't be appropriate to record his statement in the absence of the complainant. It was decided that statements from both sides would be recorded on the same day, and after discussing with Darekar, it was decided to keep the hearing on March 10 at 4 PM."
Andhare also referenced the incident last year when the studio where Kamra performed was vandalised, which occurred after his parody song about Shinde.
"We wanted to know what the charges against us are," she added.
Darekar had moved a breach of privilege notice against Kamra and Andhare for "derogatory remarks" against Shiv Sena leader Shinde, whose party is a constituent of the BJP-led Mahayuti.
Kamra, who has often courted controversy for his anti-establishment views, targeted Shinde in a song parody last year, obliquely referring to him as a traitor.
Andhare had supported Kamra.
The comedian, during his performance at the 'Unicontinental Mumbai' hotel in Khar area of Mumbai, had used a modified version of a Hindi song from the movie "Dil To Pagal Hai" to describe the 2022 rebellion of Shinde against Uddhav Thackeray.
A group of Shiv Sena workers reached the hotel and ransacked its office.
Earlier this month, Kamra had dismissed media reports claiming that he had sought an adjournment from the privileges committee as "incorrect".
