Nazir Ahmad Ronga, a senior lawyer, reportedly detained from his home in J&K without an arrest warrant. According to his son Umair, also a lawyer, the police official in charge of the operation stated that the action was taken on “orders from above.” The family claims Ronga booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA).
New Delhi: A senior lawyer and former president of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association (HCBA), Nazir Ahmad Ronga, detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and will be transferred to a jail outside the Valley, according to his family.
Nazir Ahmad Ronga, who previously faced actions by the J&K administration for his opposition to the abrogation of Article 370 and his political activities, was taken from his Srinagar home without an arrest warrant by a J&K police team at around 1:30 am on Thursday, stated his son, Umair Ronga. Umair, also a lawyer, mentioned that the leading police officer informed the family that they were acting on “orders from above.”
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He added that the authorities later clarified that the senior advocate was being detained under the PSA and would be held in Kot Bhalwal jail in Jammu.
Umair said,
“We are in a state of shock and profound distress. His health has not been good lately,”
In a post on X, Umair also shared two CCTV clips showing police personnel arriving at their residence and leaving with the senior lawyer.
Following the arrest of senior advocate Mian Qayoom, the last elected president of the HCBA, another advocate, Ronga, has also been detained. Qayoom apprehended last month by the State Investigation Agency of J&K, accused as a “primary suspect” in a terrorism conspiracy related to the murder of advocate Babar Qadri. Qadri killed on September 24, 2020, by unknown gunmen disguised as clients at his Srinagar home.
Ronga’s detention coincides with the administration’s recent ban on the HCBA election scheduled for July 1, citing vague concerns of a “breach of peace.” Many lawyers view this ban and the ongoing crackdown on HCBA’s office-bearers as part of a broader effort to undermine the lawyers’ association, which advocates for a “peaceful settlement of the Kashmir issue.”
In the June 25 ban order, the Srinagar district administration also questioned HCBA’s legitimacy as a legal entity under the Advocates Act, 1961. This action supported by the Kashmir Advocates Association (KAA), a parallel lawyers’ body established after the abrogation of Article 370, which accused the HCBA of promoting a “secessionist ideology” in Jammu and Kashmir. The KAA believed to have state backing.
On August 4, 2019, a day before the Union government altered Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional status, Ronga detained under the Public Safety Act, a law criticized as “lawless” by Amnesty International.
Ronga’s PSA dossier highlighted his ability to mobilize voters, stating,
“Your capacity can be gauged from this fact that you were able to convince your electorate to come out and vote in huge numbers during poll boycotts.”
Additionally, the government accused Ronga of protesting the abrogation of Article 370.
Alleging his affiliation with Mirwaiz Umar Farooq-led All Parties Hurriyat Conference, the 2019 dossier noted,
“You have led many protest marches in this behalf and created problems in public order in Srinagar district,”
On January 10, 2020, the PSA against Ronga and 25 others revoked following the Supreme Court’s strong criticism of the J&K administration over the internet ban and prohibitory orders in the Kashmir valley.
In November 2022, the J&K High Court‘s disciplinary committee summoned Ronga, Mian Qayoom, and G N Shaheen in response to a “professional misconduct” complaint filed by Achal Sethi, then secretary to the UT government’s department of law, justice, and parliamentary affairs.
The court order stated,
“You are hereby summoned to appear before the disciplinary committee on December 17 at 10.30am at the high court of J&K and Ladakh at Srinagar in the above-titled complaint.”
Qayoom and Ronga have previously served as HCBA heads, while Shaheen has been its general secretary.
Sethi urged the court to initiate,
“Disciplinary action against the three advocate for committing professional and other misconduct under the Advocates Act.”
As the situation unfolds, the legal community and civil society groups closely monitoring the developments, urging the government to ensure that due process is followed and that the rights of the detained lawyer are respected. This incident serves as a critical reminder of the need for vigilance in protecting individual freedoms and upholding the rule of law in conflict-prone areas.