Bar body ends strike after Jharkhand High Court stays debarment of lawyer

The Jharkhand High Court Advocates' Association (JHCAA) on Thursday ended its strike and urged all lawyers to resume work after a Division Bench of the High Court stayed a debarment order against a lawyer.

A notice dated May 16 issued by JHCAA stated that the decision was taken in light of an order passed by a Division bench of Justices Rongon Mukhopadhyay and Ananda Sen.

The lawyer in question, advocate BK Jha, was on May 15 barred from entering the premises of the High Court till June 12 by single-judge Justice Rajesh Kumar.

This order was passed by the single-judge after he took exception to the tone and tenor of Jha's arguments during the hearing of a case.

Jha had told the Court that despite six months having passed after the removal of defects, his case was yet to be listed.

The judge examined the file and noted that the case was still defective. He further noted that more than hundred lawyers were present in the courtroom and that Jha's tone and tenor was contemptuous.

"Emphatically, accusation has been made against the Staffs and the Court to the effect that the cases are being not listed even after removal of the defect(s). The tone and tenor of the concerned Advocate was not proper, rather it was contemptuous. The appearance and the statement of the concerned Advocate has been found contemptuous," the single-judge said.

Therefore, he debarred advocate Jha from entering all court premises in the State until June 12.

"Accordingly, Mr. Binod Kumar Jha, is, hereby, debarred from entering into the premises of the Jharkhand High Court and all the Courts, within territory of the Jharkhand High Court, till 12th June, 2024," the single-judge directed.

Displeased by this, the Bar Association called for a general meeting where they resolved to abstain from work unless the order by Justice Rajesh Kumar was quashed.

The same was stayed by the division bench on Thursday pursuant to which the bar body called off its boycott.

[Read Suspension Order]

[Read Resolution]