IMPHAL, May 29 : Reacting strongly to the allegations of Supreme Court lawyer Utsav Singh Bains that no lawyer from Manipur is willing to represent the family of Irom Roger in the High Court of Manipur, the All Manipur Bar Association (AMBA) has written to the Chairman of the Bar Council of India, strongly refuting the stand of Bains.
A copy of the complaint addressed to the Chairman of the Bar Council of India and available with The Sangai Express today said that “during the entire trial of the accused before the Sessions Court, Imphal West, no information or complaint had ever been made regarding any incident of threat or refusal of any local lawyer to assist the prosecution.
“As such, the allegation of lawyers in Manipur refusing to represent the family of Irom Roger before Manipur High Court as made out in the letter dated May 6 addressed to the Home Secretary, Government of India, New Delhi, which has been circulating in social media, is false and aimed to tarnish the integrity of the local lawyers and possibly to gain media attention,” added AMBA.
AMBA also rubbished the video news report that appeared in India Today in which the “parents of Irom Roger, Advocate Utsav Singh Bains and social activist Binalaxmi Nepram made the same allegation that none of the lawyers in Manipur were willing to give representation.”
Again on May 22, CNN News18 carried the same report that there was threat to the lawyer and no lawyers of Manipur were willing to appear on behalf of the family of the victim in the case, added AMBA.
The lawyers’ body said that though they cannot comment on the allegations of threat said “We are however in a position to comment on behalf of all the lawyers practising in Manipur that none of them were ever approached either by Bains or by the family of the victim and if approached, we would be pleased to give effective representation.”
Asserting that an Advocate should not try to influence the decision of a Court, AMBA said that the approach used by Utsav Bains and the family of the victim is to gain enough media attention to gain favourable responses from the Judges and in the process tarnish the integrity of the lawyers of Manipur and the Government of Manipur.
Approaching the Prime Minister on May 15 and trying to bring the issue before the media is wrong, said AMBA asserting that all procedures pertaining to law should be done inside the Court room and not the media.
If the allegations made by Bains are found to be false then apart from any action taken by Bar Council of India, proper legal action should follow under Section 177 of IPC, added AMBA.
AMBA also urged the Bar Council of India to take appropriate disciplinary action for attempting to malign and tarnish the image of lawyers of Manipur and to refrain Bains and his clients from politicising the issue and make it a media trial.
Source: The Sangai Express
