By IndiaTomorrow.net
New Delhi, 14 June 2015: Civil rights organizations took a serious note of the death threat to noted lawyer Mehmood Pracha allegedly by some officials of Rajasthan Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) and demanded registration of an FIR and arrest and suspension of those officials.
Pracha, a Delhi-based lawyer, who is defending several terror related cases across the country, was allegedly threatened by ATS official Dinesh Sharma and others on Thursday in Jaipur District Court premises. Pracha was in Jaipur to argue before the court for the case about arrest of some boys in March 2014 from Sikar and Jaipur related to an alleged terror plot.
Noted civil rights group People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), Welfare Party of India, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and Jamiat Ulema-I-Hind strongly condemned the threat and demanded strict action against the concerned officials.
According to media reports on Thursday when Pracha finished the court work and stepped out of the court room ATS official Dinesh Sharma along with other officials intimidated him and Sharma allegedly threatened to kill Pracha if he dared to appear again before the court as defense lawyer. Later Pracha filed a complaint before the court.
“The PUCL is shocked and condemns the brazen and blatant way in which ATS Rajasthan CI Dinesh Sharma openly gave a death threat to Advocate Mehmood Pracha,” a statement issued by Prem Krishan Sharma, president of PUCL and Kavita Srivastava, general secretary of PUCL reads.
PUCL demanded for lodging an FIR, arrest and suspension of Sharma.
“It is the PUCLs belief that most of the members of the ATS are so arrogant and have a perception of being above the law that they try to interfere with the constitutional right of defense and fair trial of the accused,”
PUCL accused Sharma for misbehaving another lawyer Paiker Farooq, who has been hadndling similar cases, in the past.
PUCL termed this threat as an attack on the right give by the law to an accused.
“The attack on Pracha is an attack on the right to defense of the accused whose case he had come to argue, which we will not allow. The PUCL along with other organisations, will campaign for the above action against Dinesh Sharma that an FIR be lodged, he be arrested, suspended and removed from the ATS,” it further reads.
Engineer Khursheed Ahmad, state president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Rajasthan, also condemned it and said that this threat is defamation of the constitution.
“Constitution gives rights to every citizen to defend themselves in the court of law and hire counsel for it and this attempt of Inspector Sharma is defamation of the constitution
He demanded for a fair enquiry of the incident and FIR against Mr. Sharma.
Ex Rajya Sabha MP and Genreal Secretary of Jamiat Ulama Hind Maulana Mahmood Madni condemned this threat and expressed his anguish and announced that a delegation of Jamiat soon will meet Home Minister Rajnath Singh in this regard.
Welfare Party of India’s Rajasthan state president Rashid Husain strongly condemn this it is a serious human right issue.
Last year Pracha also got a death threats from one Ravi Pujari, said to be an underworld don.
