The functioning of the Allahabad High Court was disrupted as lawyers abstained from judicial duties to protest against the decreasing number of judges and the proposed amendments to the Advocates Act. The High Court Bar Association (HCBA) initiated a strike on Thursday, bringing attention to their growing concerns.
On Friday morning, lawyers assembled at the main gate of the high court, refraining from entering the premises as part of their protest. HCBA President, Anil Tiwari, highlighted the severe shortfall in judicial appointments. “The authorized strength of judges for the Allahabad High Court is 160, yet there are only 55 currently in office, including 23 at the Lucknow bench,” Tiwari noted.
This scarcity of judges has led to a burgeoning backlog of cases, many of which have lingered unresolved for several months. The HCBA is advocating not only for the quick filling of the existing vacancies but also for an increase in the number of sanctioned positions to better handle the escalating number of cases.
In addition to the issue of vacancies, the lawyers are voicing their opposition against the draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2025, proposed by the central government. They argue that the bill’s provisions could undermine the interests of advocates and the autonomy of the bar association. The bill seeks significant revisions to the definitions of legal practitioners and law graduates, stipulating that a law graduate is anyone who has completed a three or five-year law program from an institution recognized by the Bar Council of India.
The problem of judicial vacancies is widespread across India’s high courts, often exacerbated by prolonged governmental procedures and disagreements between the Supreme Court Collegium and the Central Government over appointments. The situation at the Allahabad High Court is particularly acute, given Uttar Pradesh’s massive population and high volume of pending cases.
