For God's sake, please stand with us: DHCBA President to lawyers appearing before Delhi HC despite strike

Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) president N Hariharan on Tuesday made a fervent appeal to lawyers to refrain from appearing before the court today in protest against the recent proposal to increase the pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts in Delhi.

The DHCBA had announced suspension of work to oppose the Delhi High Court's administrative decision to recommend the enhancement of the pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts in the national capital from ₹2 crore to ₹10 crore.

Nevertheless, a few lawyers were present before the High Court today.

Addressing such counsel who appeared through video conference, Senior Advocate Hariharan said,

"You think it (such administrative decisions that may affect lawyers) will not come on the criminal side also? It will come on criminal side also. For God's sake, when we stand on a cause, please be with us. I request all my members. I cannot [stop] the proceedings of the court but I can tell you people to make a request (for adjournment)."

The senior lawyer appeared without a lawyer's gown, blazer or band.

"Ok sir, sorry, we are leaving," one lawyer replied.

The exchange took place during the hearing of a matter listed today before the Bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja.

The Court added that it will not force any counsel to argue matters.

"We are not insisting on anyone to argue," it said.

The strike was called after an emergent meeting of DHCBA held yesterday over the move the increase the pecuniary jurisdiction of district court. The DHCBA's executive committee has raised concerns that the increase in the pecuniary jurisdiction of the district courts in Delhi would have serious adverse consequences for its members.

The enhancement would result in reduction of cases by 70 percent before the original side of the High Court, it claimed.

Thus, the DHCBA decided to call a strike to protest such a move and asked its members to extend their full cooperation to the work suspension call in the collective interest of the Bar.

DHCBA had earlier filed a petition before the High Court to challenge the full court's decision to constitute a committee of judges to examine the proposal to increase the pecuniary jurisdiction of the district courts in the national capital from ₹2 crores to ₹20 crores. 

The committee was constituted after the coordination committee of the All District Courts Bar Association of Delhi in May 2025 wrote to Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and members of the Law Commission requesting the enhancement of the pecuniary jurisdiction of district courts from ₹2 crores to ₹20 crores. 

Last week, the Court passed an interim order rejecting the objections against the presentation of the committee's report before the full court. 

The Bench said pecuniary jurisdiction of the High Court is governed by the provisions of the Delhi High Court Act, 1966, which can only be amended by the Parliament.

However, it said the High Court is not denuded of the authority to examine issues affecting the administration of justice or to express its opinion and make recommendations in this regard.

Following the presentation of the report, the full court is reported to have accepted a proposal to raise the pecuniary jurisdiction of the district courts from ₹2 crore to ₹10 crore.