Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association Srinagar Kashmir (Regd.) on Monday organised a felicitation programme in honour of Chief Justice Dr Pushpendra Singh Bhatti at the Common Bar Room of the Srinagar Wing of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The event drew a large turnout of advocates and marked the first such felicitation organised by the Association.
Judges Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal, Justice Rajesh Sekhri, Justice Mohammad Yousuf Wani, Justice Sanjay Parihar and Justice Yashpal Bourney attended the programme. Mir Syed Lateef, Judicial Member and Head of Department at the Central Administrative Tribunal, Srinagar, was also present and felicitated. In a separate gesture, the Bar honoured the newly appointed Justice Yashpal Bourney.
Bar Association President Waseem Gul delivered the welcome address, while Advocate Bikram Deep Singh conducted the proceedings. Among those present were senior advocates Zaffar Ahmad Shah, G.A. Lone, R A Jan, Mohsin Ul Showkat Qadri, Syed Faisal Qadri, Tahir Majid Shamsi, Anupam Raina, Jehangir Ganie, Syed Manzoor, Anil Bhan, Bashir Ahmad Bashir, Showkat Makroo, Abdul Majid Dar, Arifa Jan and Masooda Jan. Mohammad Ayoub Bhat, Onkar Singh, Mir Suhail, Arif Sikandar Mir and Sharik J Riyaz were also in attendance, along with other lawyers and law officers.
Addressing the gathering, Chief Justice Bhatti thanked the Bar for its warmth and reflected on his own 24 to 25 years as a practising lawyer. He spoke admiringly of the nearly century-old legal tradition of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, and sought the cooperation of the Bar in upholding constitutional rights and in delivering research-driven, accurate and welfare-oriented judgments.
The Chief Justice underlined the growing importance of technology in the legal profession, saying the Bar and the Bench must keep pace with changing systems of litigation and court management. He also called for greater representation of women advocates in Bar bodies, a step he described as essential to making the institution more inclusive. Emphasising the need for continued coordination between the Jammu, Srinagar and Ladakh Bars, he said a united legal fraternity is central to the smooth functioning of the justice delivery system across the region.
Welcoming Justice Bourney to the Bench, the Chief Justice invited members of the Bar to offer constructive suggestions for improving the institution. The remarks signalled an openness to dialogue between the judiciary and the legal community, a relationship that remains vital to public confidence in the courts.
The felicitation reflected the long-standing ties between the Bar and the Bench in Srinagar, and the occasion was marked by an atmosphere of mutual respect and shared commitment to the rule of law.
