Lawyers' strike affects litigants most; view Collegium decisions from a national perspective: CJI DY Chandrachud

Prior to his scheduled meeting on November 21 with Gujarat lawyers over their opposition to the transfer of Justice Nikhil S Kariel from Gujarat to the Patna High Court, Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Saturday offered the protesting advocates a word of advice. .The CJI while addressing a gathering during his felicitation today by the Bar Council of India (BC), said that such strikes must give way to cooperation under the constitutional scheme. "Dr. Ambedkar when he spoke to Constituent Assembly on the eve of the adoption of the Constitution said "satyagraha, strike"; this was an instrument under colonial [rule], and now we are under home rule where we are ruling ourselves so strike etc must give way to cooperation."The CJI further said that lawyers should realise that it would be the litigants who would suffer if lawyers resort to strike."When lawyers strike who suffers? The consumer of justice for whom we exist suffers and not the judges, not the lawyers. Possibly lawyers since after a few days fee would stop. But the greatest sufferer is the consumer of justice."He also compared the decisions taken by Collegium to the Supreme Court reversing High Court decisions on judicial side. Many a time, decisions of High Courts are reversed by the Supreme Court keeping in mind a pan-India perspective; he, therefore, exhorted advocates to see administrative decisions by the Supreme Court also from such a perspective. "It is important for members of bar to realise that so very often when we take decisions in administrative capacity we are looking at things in national perspective. Of course, always question those in authority but you must also always learn to trust those in authority to that extent at least that they have best welfare of them at their heart and for that you have to take tough decisions. If we did not take those decisions, it will be like I will have a nice time till the Constitution tells me to retire. We all endeavour as to how the country will be better after two years.".The Gujarat High Court Advocates' Association has been staging a protest since the afternoon of November 17, after the news regarding the transfer of Justice Kariel to the Patna High Court was reported by the media.During the morning session of the Court on Thursday, over 300 advocates had gathered in the court hall of Chief Justice Aravind Kumar of the Gujarat High Court to mourn, what they called as the death of independence of judiciary.The GHCAA had subsequently resolved to abstain from work indefinitely till the Supreme Court Collegium reconsiders its decision to transfer Justice Kariel.A seven-member delegation representing the Gujarat bar is set to meet the CJI on Monday and will be making a representation to the CJI, urging him to reconsider the proposal of Justice Kariel's transfer.The bar in Telangana and Madras High Courts have also objected to Collegium decisions with respect to their High Court - transfer of acting Chief Justice T Raja from Madras to Rajasthan High Court and Justice A Abhishek Reddy from Telangana to Patna High Court..Read what the CJI said about paying junior lawyers here.Read more about CJI's remarks on legal profession here.Read what Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said about lawyers strike here..[Follow our live-coverage of the event]