Lawyer’s phone not returned: HC Bar body’s strike to continue

Lawyers had also abstained from work from the afternoon of October 18 up to October 20 over the same issue

Judicial work remained affected at the high court on Tuesday, a day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association (PHHCBA) called for an indefinite strike over the National Investigation Agency (NIA) not returning the phone seized from lawyer Shelly Sharma.

Lawyers had suspended work after a resolution in this regard was passed by general House of the Bar body. (HT Photo)

Lawyers had suspended work after a resolution in this regard was passed by general House of the Bar body. They said that the strike will continue till NIA returns Sharma’s phone, which was seized after a raid at her residence in Sector 27, Chandigarh, on October 18. Sharma appears for gangsters, including Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, in many cases.

Secretary of the Bar body, Vishal Aggarwal, said the strike will continue on Wednesday as well. “NIA has responded and stated that the phone will be released. However, an application needs to be filed for the same before a court,” he said. Lawyers are yet to take a call on the reported offer made by NIA.

Lawyers had abstained from work from the afternoon of October 18 up to October 20 over the same issue.

Meanwhile, members of the District Bar Association (DBA) also started an indefinite strike on Tuesday at the District Courts Complex in Sector 43.

DBA president Sunil Toni, said, “The NIA had earlier assured us they will return Sharma’s phone, but they haven’t done it till now, due to which we decided to go on strike till it is returned.”