SC Slams U'khand Lawyers Skipping Work on Saturday Over Pak Blast, Nepal Earthquake & Kavi Sammelans

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday held as "illegal" strikes by advocates in Uttarakhand on a working Saturday over a variety of reasons, including bomb blast in a Pakistan school, earthquake in Nepal and death of family members of some advocates.

The practice going on for more than the past 35 years in three districts of Uttarakhand tantamounts to contempt, said Justice MR Shah while reading out the operative part of his judgment. These three districts comprise Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar.

The judge called upon the Bar Council of India and the state bar bodies to take note of the judgment and initiate action against the striking lawyers.

The apex court said the strikes by lawyers are illegal, violative of previous court orders and also amount to obstruction of access to justice.

When the reasons for strikes were brought to the notice of the apex court, it had reproached the striking lawyers for resorting to such a "joke".

It had cited the High Court order, which had maintained that the strike was impermissible and were often for reasons even remotely not connected with working of courts.

“To mention a few, bomb blast in a Pakistan school, amendments to Sri Lanka's Constitution, inter-state river water disputes, attack on/murder of an advocate, earthquake in Nepal, condoling the death of near relatives of advocates, expressing solidarity to advocates of other state bar associations, moral support to movements by social activists, heavy rains... and even for kavi-sammelans,” the high court had noted in its 2019 verdict.

The high court had also referred to the 266th report of the Law Commission, which noted that between 2012 and 2016, advocates in Uttarakhand were on strike for 455 days during this period in Dehradun district, followed by 515 days in Haridwar district.

The district bar associations had come in appeal before the Supreme Court, which on the last date of hearing had remarked that things have collapsed.

“You are doing a joke. Family member of advocate dies and the entire bar will go on strike? What is this,” the bench had said while reserving its order.