The Karnataka High Court on Thursday ordered the Hubballi Police Commissioner to provide police protection to those advocates who wish to appear for three Kashmiri students arrested in a sedition case. Moreover, Chief Justice AS Oka took exception to the lawyers in Hubbali passing a resolution not to represent them.
Live Law quoted Justice Oka saying, "By passing the resolution, they are stopping court work, are they carrying out a mini-trial by themselves? This act has to be deprecated.”
CJ Abhay Oka said "By passing the resolution they are stopping court work, are they carrying out a mini trial by themselves? This act has to be deprecated.
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) February 20, 2020
It may be recalled that the Bar Association in Hubballi had passed a resolution on Monday to boycott representing the three students and also called them “anti-nationals”. They had also sent a copy of their resolution to the Karnataka State Bar Council and called for all lawyers in the state to boycott them.
Bar and Bench reported that whether the move by the Hubbali Bar Association obstructs justice will be decided by the HC after a notice is issued to the collective.
The Court further said that whether the Hubli Bar Association resolution obstructs justice will have to be decided after notice is served to the Bar Association.
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) February 20, 2020
The three Kashmiri students who were studying in an engineering college in the district were arrested on February 15 over a viral video which featured them allegedly supporting Pakistan. In that video, the three men can be seen saying "Azaadi”, "Pakistan" and "Zindabad" as a song purportedly made by the Pakistan Army was being played in the background.
The police arrested the three based on a complaint by a Bajrang Dal activist and ABVP activists had also led protests at the college asking the principal to handover the accused to the police. The students are currently in judicial custody till March 2 as ordered by the trial court.
The move by the Hubbali lawyers’ collective came after the Bar Association in Mysuru passed a similar resolution barring all its members from representing sedition accused students over a “Free Kashmir” placard.