In a significant move aimed at addressing disruptions caused by frequent lawyers’ strikes, the Supreme Court of India on Friday called for detailed data on the number of strikes and boycotts initiated by district bar associations across Uttar Pradesh this year. A bench led by Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has tasked the Allahabad High Court with compiling this data through reports from all district judges in the state.
Justice Surya Kant highlighted the gravity of the issue, stating, “This is a very serious issue. Our entire judicial system has been paralyzed. People travel from distant villages only to face this.” The court emphasized the duty of advocates as officers of the court, underscoring the impact of their actions on the judicial process.
The directive emerged during the hearing of an appeal by the Faizabad bar association against a recent decision by the Allahabad High Court. On August 8, the High Court had mandated the formation of an Elders Committee to streamline the association’s activities, ensuring smooth operations and supervising the election of its Governing Council by December 2024.
Earlier in September, the Supreme Court took note of the Allahabad High Court’s findings indicating that lawyers in Faizabad abstained from work for 66 out of 134 working days between November 2023 and April 2024. As a corrective measure, the Supreme Court has now required all office bearers of the bar association to submit affidavits pledging not to endorse any future resolutions to boycott judicial proceedings.
Expanding the scope of the inquiry, the bench plans to review the performance and functionality of all bar associations in Uttar Pradesh, with the Allahabad High Court being instructed to gather information on court boycotts throughout 2024. The next hearing is scheduled for September 23, where interim orders are anticipated.
The legal representation for the Faizabad bar association includes Senior Advocates Rakesh Kumar Khanna, Sukumar Pattjoshi, Kumar Murlidhar, Atul Verma, among others. Senior Advocate CU Singh represented the original petitioners, opposing the appeal, while K Parameshwar, the Additional Advocate General of Uttar Pradesh, appeared on behalf of the Allahabad High Court.
