Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association calls off work suspension, district bar bodies also to resume work

Various Bar bodies in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh including the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association have decided to suspend their strike against the implementation of Legal Defence Counsel System (LADCS) in the trial courts.

The announcement comes a day after a meeting was held between a joint action committee of district associations and acting Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra. Other judges were also present at the meeting.

Sources said bar leaders were told that the issues being raised by them can only be addressed by the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA). They were also assured that every aspect relating to the implementation of the scheme would be examined and addressed.

In order to end the stalemate, members of the joint action committee, the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana and the representatives of the High Court Bar Association are likely to meet Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant next week.

In a notice issued this evening, the High Court Bar Association said majority of the district Bar associations have resolved to resume judicial work from August 3.

Accordingly, it requested its members too to resume their professional work from Monday. It expressed a hope that concerns of lawyers shall receive a positive and meaningful resolution in the meeting with CJI.

Lawyers, particularly in Punjab, have been on strike for nearly a month against LADCS, alleging that the scheme has created a parallel State-funded criminal defence system which was affecting the practice of independent advocates.

Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association also joined the striking lawyers this week and suspended work at the High Court. Lawyers also staged protests at the high court to express solidarity with the trial court lawyers. The strike, which was initially limited to Punjab, also spread to many district of Haryana and Chandigarh this week.

The High Court recently issued a circular to address some of the grievances highlighted by the lawyers but made it clear that there would no rollback of the scheme since it is being implemented across the country by NALSA.