A court in north Kashmir’s Sopore has issued a pre-cognizance notice to the town’s Tehsildar, Tariq Ahmad Sheikh, in connection with a complaint filed by the Bar Association Sopore over allegations that he misbehaved with two lawyers during an official interaction earlier this week.
The District Mobile Magistrate (Traffic), Sopore, in a notice, in possession of Kashmir Outlook, issued on Aug. 20, directed Sheikh to appear before the court on Aug. 31, either in person or through counsel, to avail an opportunity of being heard before the court decides whether to take cognizance of the complaint.
The complaint alleges offences under Sections 126, 131, 351 and 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The court, however, clarified that no cognizance had yet been taken and that the issuance of the notice should not be construed as an opinion on the merits of the allegations.
According to the notice, the alleged incident occurred during an official interaction while Sheikh was functioning as Tehsildar of Sopore. The court said he could also make submissions regarding the circumstances that led to the incident.
Sheikh has denied the allegations, saying CCTV footage was available which, according to him, would show that no such incident took place.
The Bar Association Sopore has demanded that the CCTV footage be provided without any tampering. It said it would apologise if the footage showed that the allegations were unfounded, but demanded an inquiry and Sheikh’s transfer if the accusations were established.
Lawyers in Sopore have been observing a pen-down strike, as per reports, over the issue, affecting court work.
The matter is now scheduled to be heard on Aug. 31.
