Beef Ban: Law Minister under Pressure to Reinstate Sacked Lawyers

KL NEWS NETWORK

SRINAGAR

The controversy around beef ban seems to be growing with every passing day despite PDP-BJP coalition government trying every effort to contain the situation in the bud.

Sources privy to KNS said that Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Syed Basharat Bukhari, whose department in a fire-fighting exercise disengaged two government lawyers after beef ban issue snowballed into major controversy, is now being pressurised by both BJP and RSS to reinstate the services of these lawyers.

Bukhari, however, said that he will prefer to resign than to succumb to any pressure on the issue of reinstating the services of two sacked lawyers.  “I don’t succumb to pressure. If so happens, I will not undo what I have done. Rather I will prefer to resign straightaway,” he said. This is for the first time that the Law Minister spoke about the issue.

On September 9, the High Court passed direction to police to ensure strict ban on sale and consumption of beef in the state. The direction was passed in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Advocate Parimoksh Seth seeking slaughter or killing of bovine animals an offence punishable under Section 298-A and possession of such slaughtered animal an act punishable under Section 298-B of the RPC. Interestingly, Seth was state’s Deputy Advocate General, while as Vishal Sharma who was appearing as counsel for the State was Additional Advocate General. The court verdict stoked passions in Kashmir with people calling the ban on the beef as a “direct interference” in their religious affairs.

To do a fire fighting in the raging controversy on the beef ban, Government on September 22 sacked both Seth and Sharma. But the decision of lawyers sacking by Law and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry led by Bukhari, who belongs to PDP, has not gone down well with BJP and their RSS bosses.

Sources said that BJP is under strong public pressure in Jammu on the issue and RSS is not happy with the BJP ministers in the state government “for not being assertive and dominant over the ally PDP”. Sources added that both BJP and RSS have conveyed their resentment over sacking of Additional and Deputy Advocate General to the Law Minister. “Both BJP and RSS are pressurising Law Minister to reinstate the sacked AAG and DAG,” said sources.

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