JKNPP, JPPF call for Jammu bandh today over NIT issue

April 7, 2016

Jammu, Apr 7: Several organisations including JKNPP, JPPF and Sri Ram Sena today called for Jammu bandh today in protest against the alleged police action on outstation students at NIT in Srinagar.

"We unanimously decided to observe complete Bandh in Jammu on April 7," Jammu Province People's Forum (JPPF) Working President M S Katoch told reporters here today.

Katoch appealed to all Jammuites to make the call a success in support of outstation students studying in NIT Srinagar.

JPPF, an amalgam of over 50 various social, commercial and other organisations, has strongly criticised the state government for provoking anti-national activities in NIT Srinagar by hurting sentiments of nationalist forces.

He alleged the government was hell bent to destroy the peace and communal harmony in the State.

Strongly condemning lathicharge on the outstation students by Jammu and Kashmir police, Katoch demanded security and their protection in the campus.

Demanding a judicial probe into the incident and strict action, he said the police entered the campus and brutally beaten and thrashed outstation students, the action will adversely affect the thousands of Kashmiri students studying outside the State as it will create a sense of insecurity among them.

Meanwhile Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers party (JKNPP) also announced Jammu bandh tomorrow.

Terming as "inhumane" the lathicharge on students, JKNPP leader Harsh Dev Singh appealed to all Jammuites to unite and come forward to support call for "Jammu Bandh" tomorrow.

Singh condemned the ugly episode of clash inside the NIT campus when certain anti-national elements celebrated India's defeat by the Caribbean team in the World T20 Cup match.

Those involved in alleged India bashing, raising pro- Azadi slogans and pelting stones should be booked under sedition charges and other provisions of the Ranbir Penal code, he said.

He also criticised J&K police for lathi charge on students and slammed the state government for its failure to provide security to the traumatised students "who have been unlawfully detained and confined within the four walls of the institute campus".

He also expressed solidarity with the parents of the students and sought dismissal of police personnel who were involved in lathi charge.

Meanwhile Sri Ram Sena in the state has also announced a one-day Bandh in Jammu tomorrow.

"We have called a Bandh on Thursday over the NIT incident which is a shameful act of some anti national elements," its leader Rajiv told reporters here.

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‘Pay the worker before his sweat dries’: Madras High Court cites Prophet Muhammad’s teaching while ordering settlement of dues

News Network

December 21,2025

Invoking the teachings of Prophet Muhammad—“pay the worker before his sweat dries”—the Madras High Court has directed a municipal corporation to settle long-pending legal dues owed to a former counsel. The court observed that this principle reflects basic fairness and applies equally to labour and service-related disputes.

Justice G. R. Swaminathan made the observation while hearing a petition filed by advocate P. Thirumalai, who claimed that the Madurai City Municipal Corporation failed to pay him legal fees amounting to ₹13.05 lakh. Earlier, the High Court had asked the corporation to consider his representation. However, a later order rejected a major portion of his claim, prompting the present petition.

The court allowed Thirumalai to approach the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and submit a list of cases in which he had appeared. It also directed the corporation to settle the verified fee bills within two months, without interest. The court noted that the petitioner had waited nearly 18 years before challenging the non-payment and that the corporation could not be fully blamed, as the fee bills were not submitted properly.

‘A Matter of Embarrassment’

Justice Swaminathan described it as a “matter of embarrassment” that the State has nearly a dozen Additional Advocate Generals. He observed that appointing too many law officers often leads to unnecessary allocation of work and frequent adjournments, as government counsel claim that senior officers are engaged elsewhere.

He expressed hope that such practices would end at least in the Madurai Bench of the High Court and added that Additional Advocate Generals should “turn a new leaf” from 2026 onwards.

‘Scandalously High Amounts’

While stating that the court cannot examine the exact fees paid to senior counsel or law officers, Justice Swaminathan stressed that good governance requires public funds to be used prudently. He expressed concern over the “scandalously high amounts” paid by government and quasi-government bodies to a few favoured law officers.

In contrast, the court noted that Thirumalai’s total claim was “a pittance” considering the large number of cases he had handled.

Background

Thirumalai served as the standing counsel for the Madurai City Municipal Corporation for more than 14 years, from 1992 to 2006. During this period, he represented the corporation in about 818 cases before the Madurai District Courts.

As the former counsel was unable to hire a clerk to obtain certified copies of judgments in all 818 cases, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to collect the certified copies within two months. The court further ordered the corporation to bear the cost incurred by the DLSA and deduct that amount from the final settlement payable to the petitioner.

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