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Advocates (Amendment) Bill: U.P. lawyers boycott work statewide
Although the Union government has withdrawn the draft for review, lawyers remain dissatisfied and insist on a full withdrawal.
Lawyers across Uttar Pradesh staged a statewide boycott of court proceedings on Tuesday in protest against the proposed amendments to the Advocates Act, 1961, which seek to prohibit strikes and work abstentions.
Responding to a call given by the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh, lawyers at the Allahabad high court, its Lucknow bench, and district courts across the state refrained from work.
The proposed Advocates (Amendment) Bill, drafted by the Union Law Ministry, includes a provision—Section 35A—that bars advocates from boycotting courts or disrupting proceedings. Any violation could lead to disciplinary action. The Bar Council has termed this clause unacceptable and is demanding a complete rollback of the bill.
Although the Union government has withdrawn the draft for review, lawyers remain dissatisfied and insist on a full withdrawal.
“We cannot accept restrictions on our right to protest. We will wait for the government’s response, but the demand is for the complete rollback of the proposed amendment,” said advocate Prashant Singh ‘Atal’, member and former chairman of the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh.
A new clause in the draft bill also proposes that individuals convicted of offences punishable by three or more years of imprisonment may not be enrolled by the State Bar Council.
“Lawyers in all district courts stayed away from work. Now that the government has decided to review the draft bill, we will wait for the next step,” said Arvind Kumar Khushwaha, president of the Central Bar Association of the Lucknow district court.
The Central Bar Association and the Lucknow Bar Association will decide on further action after assessing the Union government’s response.
