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| BAJ suspends work | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 11: Work in all courts including High Court in Jammu was affected in view of lawyers' strike who staged protest over the introduction of a Private Member's Bill that seeks to annul permanent resident rights of women of the State who marry outside the state.
Lawyers under the banner of Bar Association Jammu boycotted court work and staged a sit-in and also held a demonstration denouncing the Permanent Residents (Disqualification) Bill. They said the bill was "discriminatory against women of the state, particularly of Jammu region."
"It is anti-Jammu, as most Jammu girls marry outside of the state with persons who are non-state subjects (not permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir)," Sunil Sethi, president BAJ, told reporters here.
The bill had threatened the then ruling coalition of Congress-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) when it was first introduced in the State Legislative Assembly in 2004.
The National Conference - then in opposition - supported the legislation while the national parties, including the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), opposed it.
The bill deprives women of the right to own and inherit immovable property, get government jobs and other privileges if they marry non-state subjects.
It was introduced by PDP MLC Murtaza Khan in the state legislative council on March 8, and the government accepted it at the introduction level.
The PDP plans to introduce the bill in the state legislative assembly. The PDP's argument in favour of the bill is it would save the identity of the women of the state. It fears that if women marrying non-state subjects are entitled to retain their citizenship rights, the state's special status would be undermined.
Sunil Sethi alleged, "There appeared to be a big conspiracy. This is evident in the way political parties are maintaining a silence over the issue. We are not hearing any voices of opposition to the bill."
The BAJ president asserted, "It has now become a ritual with Bar Association to kick start every Jammu cause which otherwise should be taken care of by political parties which are voted by the people to safeguard their interests. "
He said that since Jammu has been facing number of agitations starting with Amarnath land imbroglio, it has been only the lawyers' fraternity that took the lead 'which was later maneuvered by the political parties according to their conveniences'.
"This is very unfortunate that since the political parties are enrolled against handsome salaries under the constitution to serve people better, they in turn remain in slumber thus leaving the entire people to face the hardships," Sunil Sethi said.
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