JORHAT, June 10 - Veer Lachit Sena (VLS), a social organisation reportedly having its central office in Guwahati, has come under fire from the Jorhat Bar Association (JBA) with the JBA lodging an FIR against the former for allegedly posting a video on a social media site threatening the lawyers of JBA and also using highly objectionable language against them.
Addressing mediapersons here recently, JBA president Rintu Goswami and secretary Deep Ranjan Chetia, said that a case (No: 1357/2018) has been registered at the Jorhat Police Station under Sections 120 (B), 121 and 506 of the IPC along with Section 67 of the IT Act by the JBA on behalf of all members (about 700) on June 7.
Goswami said that the action came after an emergent meeting of JBA held on June 7 decided to lodge the FIR in view of several leaders of the Sena in a video purportedly uploaded in a social site reportedly threatening advocates of the bar by using filthy and derogatory language that was highly objectionable.
Goswami said the persons who claimed to be office-bearers of Sena, also falsely charged the lawyers of working against indigenous people of the state.
�What is more shocking is they (Veer Lachit Sena leaders) have leveled allegations against advocates that we were working on caste and community lines? As per our profession we offer legal advice and take up cases of people irrespective of caste, creed and community as per the provisions of the Constitution,� the JBA president observed.
Chetia said that as all lawyers of the JBA were complainants in the case, the emergent meeting also decided not to offer legal aid to the accused (Veer Lachit Sena leaders) as it was not desirable.
He said that recently there was an incident involving an elderly widow who is an owner of a plot in which a shop was being run by a tenant for past several years.
Chetia said that a dispute reportedly arose between the landlady and the tenant after which members of the Veer Lachit Sena allegedly took possession of the shop forcefully in order �to provide justice� to the landlady.
The JBA secretary said that subsequently the tenant�s side approached the Gauhati High Court to appeal against a Jorhat Deputy Commissioner�s order that reportedly had directed the tenant to hand over possession of the shop to the landlady. Chetia said the HC, however, directed the Jorhat district administration and police to execute its order of restoring possession of the shop to the owner of the shop, which was done a few days back.
Chetia said that during the whole legal process, no JBA member was approached nor hired by the tenant�s side. He said one of the JBA members has offered legal aid to the landlady by filing an eviction suit in the civil court here. Chetia said that the JMB has condemned the act of outfit�s leaders taking law into their hands and forcefully taking possession of the shop and threatening and insulting the lawyers of JBA.
He said letters have been sent to the State and Union Home Ministry, Jorhat SP and DC seeking action against the culprits in the video.
The advisor of the All Assam Lawyers� Association and senior advocate OM Maheshwari was among the lawyers present at the media interaction. An investigation is on into the case, a police official said.
