Hapur lathicharge: Allahabad HC expresses concern over lawyers’ strike, says it is no solution

The Allahabad High Court expressed concern over the ongoing lawyers' strike and stated that the strike cannot be a solution. The court highlighted the negative consequences of the strike and urged lawyers to understand the impact and resume arguing cases.

Expressing concern over the ongoing strike of lawyers over the August 29 Hapur lathicharge incident, the Allahabad high court on Thursday said strike cannot be a solution.

Lawyers across Uttar Pradesh have been on strike for the last over two weeks over the August 29 incident. (For Representation)

“The solution could have been to let the courts function and make the officers and bureaucrats answerable compelling their appearance before the courts of law to justify their action of lathi-charge and not to shut down the courts giving liberty to the erring officials to roam freely and smiling with a confidence that there is none to call for an explanation or to take action against them or take remedial measures,” the court said.

Justice Kshitij Shailendra made these observations when no one appeared in the case of Prabhat Kumar and another on Thursday either in physical or virtual mode due to the ongoing strike of lawyers.

Pointing out the ill effects of the strike, which entered its 15th day on Thursday, the court further said, “If courts of law remain closed for long periods, the people may take recourse to other means for redressal of their grievances, including those which may have no sanction of law, like approaching the criminals to settle their disputes, or either turning themselves into criminals and adopting all other polluted means like bribing the dishonest bureaucrats for getting the work done.”

“If this situation persists for a considerable period of time, the resultant effect on the society as well as individuals and the nation as a whole would be unassessable. In that eventuality, we would certainly shatter the faith reposed by us in ourselves while giving us the Constitution and its soul and that would be the most unfortunate day for all of us,” the court said.

While adjourning the present case till October 30, 2023, the court said, “With a very heavy heart, the court adjourns this matter in the interest of justice with the hope and trust that the lawyers would understand not only the plight, woes, cry and grievance of the society at large, but also their own well-being and also the overall ill-effects of strike and would soon turn up to argue the case”.