NC MLA, lawyers for judicial probe by sitting HC judge

Senior lawyers of the Jammu and Kashmir high court (HC) led by advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed and National Conference's (NC) Bani MLA Dr Rameshwar Singh on Friday demanded a judicial probe by a sitting high court judge into custodial torture of a 25-year-old Gujjar youth, who later allegedly died by suicide at his home in Billawar tehsil of Kathua district on Wednesday.

- Ravi Krishnan Khajuria

JAMMU:

Addressing media persons here, high court lawyer Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed said, "We simply don't have any faith in magisterial probe and fact-finding probe by police. We strongly demand judicial probe by a sitting HC judge."

If our demand is not conceded, then we will be compelled to knock the doors of HC for justice, he added. Advocate Ahmed said that the 25-year-old was tortured to such an extent that he preferred to end his life.

Advocate Ahmed was joined by senior HC lawyers Mohammad Shafiq Choudhary, Owais Ahmed Choudhary, Parvez Choudhary, Mohammad Zulkarnain Choudhary, Anil John and Supriya Chouhan.