UP organisation defends legal assistance to accused terrorists

Lucknow, Mar 16 (UNI) Movement Against Terrorism, an organisation, formed in Uttar Pradesh to provide legal assistance to all the accused booked under Terrorism Act, today said they will go before the Supreme Court/ High Court or even the Bar Association of India against certain district Bar Associations of UP if they did not lift ban imposed on their members to take up the cases of any accused terrorists.

The organisation has also decided to set up committees at state and district levels to monitor all the cases related to terrorism and provide all legal assistance to the accused terrorists.

In a meeting of the organisation chaired by the convenor Maulana Khalid Rashid here, it was accepted that all the accused should have the right of legal defence under Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution.

''We will appeal to all the Bar Associations who had banned the lawyers to take up the cases of the accused terrorists, but if they don't agree then the organisation will be forced to go before the higher bodies including Supreme Court, High Court and Bar Association of India,'' the meeting resolved.

The meeting also suggested appointment of non-Muslim lawyers for the accused terrorists lodged in different jails of the state, while the committes would ensure that the different Bar Association should not oppose in providing legal justice of any accused.

The organisation has also asked the UP government to provide, if required, adequate security cover to any lawyer who would be taking up the case of the accused terrorists.

At least three district Bars-- Faizabad, Lucknow Bar (collectorate) and Ghaziabad-- had banned its members to take any cases of the accused terrorists.

Later taking to UNI, organisation's steering committee member Zafarayeb Jilani said that the state committee would move the SC/HC or even the Bar Council of India if the district Bar Association continues its anti-constitutional approach.

''Under the Constitutional power every accused has the right to defend himself through legal assistance, but not providing them such was in another way preventing them legal justice'', he commented.

Mr Jilani, a senior high court advocate said the organisation was just playing a role of a facilitator for all the accused jailed under terrorism and was not interested for any individual.'' we only want that no innocent should not be punished in the name of terrorism'', he further added.

Earlier, the district courts of Faizabad, Lucknow and Ghaziabad witnessed unrurly scenes when the lawyer beat up the accused terrorists inside the court. Cases of the terrorist attack at Ayodhya against the accused had been delayed and later shifted to Allahabad after the lawyers of Faizabad refused to take the case of the terrorists. They even did not allow the lawyers from outside to take up the case.

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