Junaid Khan Case: Judge Says Senior Law Officer Helped the Accused

Additional District and Sessions Judge alludes that senior law officer has been helping the counsel of the accused.

In an interim order on 25 October, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Faridabad, Y S Rathore said that Additional Advocate General Naveen Kaushik was providing legal assistance to the counsel of the accused in the Junaid Khan murder case.

The Judge stated that Kaushik was suggesting questions that the counsel should ask, during the cross-questioning of the prosecution witnesses during the course of the two hearings that were held on 24 and 25 October, reported The Indian Express.

This act of Mr Naveen Kaushik, Additional Advocate General Haryana amounts to professional misconduct and is against legal ethics and highly unbecoming of an Advocate, particularly because he is a Law Officer in the office of Advocate General, Haryana.

Judge S Rathore, Additional District and Sessions Judge

Judge Rathore went on to add that since this is a ‘sensitive’ case, considering the deceased was abused on religious lines, it would be an extremely wrong signal for a senior law officer like Naveen Kaushik to be lending out legal assistance to the counsel of the main accused.

Also Read: Junaid’s Lynching: Taking the Train Ride That Ended in a Murder

It will send a wrong signal and will also create a feeling of insecurity amongst the victim party and will adversely effect the aim of the court to conduct a free and fair trial.

Kaushik, however, has denied all charges to the contrary and stated that he had no connection with the case.

I was there only because I am the organising secretary of the Bharatiya Bhasha Abhiyan in the north region and the counsel appearing for one of the accused is known to me. 

Naveen Kaushik, Additional Advocate General

Also Read: Hafiz Junaid Lynching: 5 Arrests But Man Who Stabbed Him At Large

Kaushik added that:

He had requested the court that evidence be recorded in Hindi as is provided in the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). On 25 October, he asked me if I could provide him the relevant provision of law and so I went there to give it to him.

The judge’s order came soon after Junaid’s father, Jalaluddin, filed a petition in the Punjab & Haryana High Court seeking a transfer of the probe from the Haryana Police to the CBI.

Also Read: Ballabhgarh Lynching: Hang Junaid’s Killer, Says His Family

Baldev Raj Mahajan, Advocate General, Haryana also told The Indian Express that he wasn’t aware of Kaushik’s involvement in the case and that appropriate action would be taken against him.

Also Read: When Silence Is Shameful: A Time to Speak Up (as an Indian)

(With inputs from The Indian Express)