Madhya Pradesh High Court Advocates Association raises grievances about case listing, rosters

The Madhya Pradesh High Court Advocates Association has addressed a letter to the High Court's Chief Justice, raising a series of concerns regarding case listings, judicial rosters, and related procedural policies at the High Court..The Association's letter dated November 26 notes that the seriousness of these concerns is reflected in the hundreds of signatures it has received from advocates seeking collective action. The lawyers have expressed that they may refrain from court work if their grievances remain unaddressed. A general meeting is also scheduled to be held on December 1 to discuss these grievances.The Association has urged that the issues raised be addressed promptly so that clear updates can be provided to members during the general meeting.The letter adds that addressing the issues prior to the meeting may help prevent disruption to court proceedings.The issues raised stem largely from alleged inconsistent listing practices, procedural hurdles, and roster-related decisions that have created uncertainty in the day-to-day functioning of the High Court. .The primary concerns raised by the Association include:.Closure of court slip drop boxes: The letter notes that the earlier system of drop boxes for submitting court slips, through which cases were tentatively scheduled has been discontinued. This has caused inconvenience and made it more difficult to list matters on desired dates.Delayed or unclear case listing: No formal policy has been established for handling "non-reach" cases (cases that are listed but not heard on a particular day due to lack of time). This results in adjourned cases not being relisted. Additionally, fixed-date cases reflected in court slips are also not being scheduled for hearing.Bail case backlog: The letter says that assigning bail cases to judges after lunch could significantly lower the number of pending bail cases prior to the December winter vacation, given that there are currently five Division Benches in function.Fresh 482 CrPC / 528 BNSS cases (FIR quash and other such petitions) not listed: The letter says that even recently filed Section 528, BNSS / Section 482, CrPC cases are not being scheduled. Since it is not feasible to hear these cases alongside the bail roster, advocates have called for the formation of a separate Bench to hear such matters.Roster issues for relief-oriented judges: Advocates have raised concerns that relief-oriented judges are not being given important case rosters or are subjected to unnecessary roster changes, which may needlessly affect perceptions of their integrity and fairness.Contempt case filing difficulties: The letter says that there a difficulties in filing contempt cases due to a requirement that copies of all cases referenced in the writ petition orders must be filed along with contempt cases.Publicizing internal disagreements: The letter also raises concern that the High Court's reputation is being affected when allegations or counter-allegations among judges are being publicised in one way or another among lawyers. .[View Letter].Follow Bar and Bench channel on WhatsAppDownload the Bar and Bench Mobile app for instant access to the latest legal news.