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Didn’t obstruct police from filing chargesheet in Kathua case: Jammu bar association
New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) The Jammu & Kashmir High Court Bar Association on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that it has not obstructed police from filing charge sheet in the Kathua minor rape and murder case.
Filing an affidavit before the apex court, the Association vehemently denied that its President, senior advocate B.S. Salathia, and other office bearers threatened a woman lawyer from appearing for the family of a rape victim, terming the allegation as “false and baseless”.
The affidavit stated: “So far as the issue of causing any obstruction or extending any threat to advocate Deepika Singh Rajawat (victim’s lawyer) from appearing in the High Court on behalf of the victim in the alleged Rassana rape and murder (Kathua) case by the office bearers or any other member of the Association is concerned, it is totally false and baseless and the same is vehemently/specifically denied.”
Rajawat had complaint that Association members had threatened her not to appear for the victim’s family but the Association claimed that her statements in this regard were “contradictory”.
“She alleged a threat on April 4, 2018 whereas in media, the alleged threat is on April 11, 2018. The statement is itself contradictory and misleading. It is further submitted that the office bearers of the Association including the President have been requesting the members of the Bar to respect and abide by the resolution of general house meeting but never obstructed from causing appearance in any case,” the affidavit stated.
The top court had earlier pulled up Jammu lawyers for obstructing the filing of charge sheet in the case even as they claimed they were protesting on a different issue.
The Association said it was protesting against growing illegal presence of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals in Jammu and also demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Kathua rape-cum-murder, but it was was wrongly being portrayed as “communal”.
It claimed its demand for CBI probe was done “in order to ensure that the victim gets justice and the said demand was never to support the alleged rapists”, adding, now the same demand has been dropped, even though it still believes that the justice shall be done to the victim only after a fair and impartial probe by the CBI.
The Association criticised the national media claiming that they were unfairly projected as sympathising with the rapists.
“A motivated and malicious campaign by some national media channels created an erroneous impression about the motives of the bandh call in Jammu by projecting the legal fraternity and also the people supporting bandh as pro=rapists which is factually incorrect and misleading as such denied,” it added.
The apex court on April 19 asked High Court Bar Association at Jammu and Kathua District Court Bar Association, to file response about the incident and the conduct of protesting lawyers before April 26, the next date of hearing.
On April 13, the apex court took suo motu notice of an incident of lawyers of Jammu and Kathua bar associations preventing the victim’s lawyer from appearing in the case.
In January, an eight-year-old girl went missing while grazing horses in Rassana forest in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district. A week later, her body was recovered.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.