Madhya Pradesh State Bar Council calls off strike (for now); to meet CJI DY Chandrachud tomorrow

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has invited Chairman of the Madhya Pradesh State Bar Council Prem Singh Bhadouria to discuss concerns surrounding the State-wide lawyers' strikes called for by the body this month..On Tuesday afternoon, Bhadouria released a press note stating that the strike has been called off for now.The note revealed that the meeting is scheduled to take place at 4 PM on March 29, and that the Council hopes for a favourable outcome. In this light, he requested all advocates in the State to resume work tomorrow..The State Bar Council on Monday resolved to go on another two-day strike. The Council claimed that the Madhya Pradesh High Court took no initiative to meet the demands of the advocates to revoke the 25 debt scheme, as per which district courts are required to dispose of 25 of the oldest cases within 3 months.Keeping in view the dissatisfaction among advocates in the district courts, the Council called upon all lawyers in the State to abstain from court work on March 28 and 29. .Protests against the scheme began last month, with the lawyers deciding to go on strike from March 23 to March 25. The State Bar Council had demanded that the High Court revoke its scheme, failing which lawyers across the strike would boycott courts.The High Court subsequently took suo motu cognizance of the strike, calling it a "sad day for the State of Madhya Pradesh". Chief Justice Ravi Malimath had warned the striking advocates that contempt action would be taken against them if the boycott was not called off.Justifying the need for the scheme to dispose of old cases, the Court said in this order,"We are of the considered view that the duty of a lawyer is to uphold the rule of law. It is he, who fights for the legal rights of a litigant. There are almost 20 Lakh cases pending in the district court judiciary and more than 4 Lakh cases pending in the High Court. Every effort is being made by the Hon'ble High Court to reduce the pendency. The action of the respondent No.1 seeking to abstain from court work is opposed to the well established principles of the legal profession. The respondent No.1 cannot call for an illegal act to be done.".On Monday, the Court issued show cause notices to the Chairman and every elected member of the State Bar Council seeking an explanation why criminal contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for compelling lawyers to abstain from judicial work.Justice Atul Sreedharan noted that the strike called by the Chairman was in brazen defiance of the order passed by the High Court on March 24..Madhya Pradesh High Court registers contempt of court case against State Bar Council chairman, members for compelling lawyers to strike