Key Takeaways
- J&K police detain HC Bar Association chairman Nazir Ronga in a shocking turn of events.
- Ronga’s arrest sparks concerns of PSA misuse in Jammu and Kashmir.
- The J&K government has disallowed the Bar from holding elections under section 144 of the CrPC, citing its alleged ‘secessionist ideology’.
Srinagar: Senior advocate and chairperson of J&K High Court Bar Association Nazir Ronga was detained by police last night, his family said here on Thursday.
Ronga’s son Umair Ronga, also an advocate at the Srinagar High Court, said police arrested him from home
“My father, Adv. N.A. Ronga, the Chairman of the J&K High Court Bar Association, has just been arrested in a deeply disturbing turn of events. At 1:10 am, a contingent of J&K Police arrived at our home without any arrest warrant, merely stating, “It’s an order from above” (“uper se order hai”),” Umair Ronga posted on X.
“We are left in a state of shock and profound distress. We can only hope this is not another instance of the PSA being misused to intimidate the members of the J&K High Court Bar Association,” he added.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police has not yet issued a statement regarding Nazir Ronga’s arrest, fueling concerns about the situation.
The former president of the High Court Bar Association, Ronga’s arrest comes days after the lawyers’ body dropped a paragraph from its constitution and called for “working towards a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute”.
J&K government has since 2020 disallowed Bar from holding elections under section 144 criminal procedure code (CrPC), citing its alleged “secessionist ideology”.
Last month, former Bar Association president Mian Qayoom, was arrested in connection with the 2020 killing of advocate Babar Qadri.
