Allahabad High Court Bar Association calls off ongoing strike against place of establishment of Education Tribunal, GST Appellate Tribunal

The Allahabad High Court Bar Association (AHCBA) on Wednesday decided to call off the ongoing strike against the place of establishment of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Appellate Tribunal and Education Tribunal in Uttar Pradesh..This decision comes days after the Awadh bar Association, which had also been protesting over the same issue, had passed a resolution calling off its strike on March 6 .In a resolution passed on March 10, the AHCBA resolved that its members would be resuming work from March 12. ."A general body meet, presided by Amrendra Nath Sir (President, AHCBA) was organized by the members of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association. It was collectively decided that from March 12, lawyers/members would be resuming/joining work," the resolution said..It also stated the struggle/protest against the place of establishment of the two tribunals would continue, but the association will now resort to legal means by taking the matter to the court. .The Allahabad High Court had already taken suo motu cognizance of the matter relating to the establishment of the Education Tribunal. The Court had effectively stayed the government from establishing the Education Tribunal stating that it can be done only with the leave of the Court (In Re Constitution Of Education Tribunals v. State of UP). However, the Court had taken a dim view of the ongoing boycott by the Bar. "By the absentation from judicial work, valuable judicial time has been criminally wasted and that has effected judicial working of Allahabad High Court for other important jurisdictions also..The largest High Court of the country cannot afford such non-functionality of Courts on any count," it had observed. .[Breaking] Allahabad High Court takes suo motu cognizance of strikes by UP Bar Associations, puts on hold establishment of Education Tribunal.The AHCBA has been protesting against Uttar Pradesh Education Tribunal Services Bill of 2021, which was tabled by the Uttar Pradesh government during the annual budget. The Bill proposed to bifurcate the sitting of benches of the tribunal at both Prayagraj and Lucknow while the AHCBA is demanding that the principle Bench should be at Prayagraj. .The members of the Governing Council of AHCBA contend that there are around fourteen-fifteen courts at Prayagraj which deal purely with education matters while there are only four to five such courts at Lucknow. Thus, they contend that the main seat of the tribunal should be established at Prayagraj..Besides, the AHCBA is also demanding establishment of the GST Appellate Tribunal at Prayagraj. .The Awadh Bar Association was also on strike over the place of establishment of the two tribunals. The members of Awadh Bar want the seat of the Education Tribunal to be solely at Lucknow without any bifurcation since according to them, there is enough place/infrastructure at Lucknow to comply with the requirements of the tribunal.They also want the GST Appellate Tribunal to be established at Lucknow. .As with the Education Tribunal, the Allahabad High Court had also directed the GST Council and Union of India not to establish the GST Appellate Tribunal for the State without the leave of the Court..Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court stays establishment of GST Appellate Tribunal in Uttar Pradesh.[Read AHCBA Resolution]