Bar council strike call hits work in courts

The functioning of courts across the country was paralysed on Wednesday as lawyers went on strike. The Bar Council of India has called for a two-day strike to protest the HRD ministry’s Higher Education and Research Bill.

The functioning of courts across the country was paralysed on Wednesday as lawyers went on strike. The Bar Council of India has called for a two-day strike to protest the HRD ministry’s Higher Education and Research Bill.

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BCI, which contends the bill is aimed at usurping its control over legal education, claimed 1.7 million lawyers participated in the strike. The court boycott will continue on Thursday.

“Today is a historical day for the Bar Council of India because 1.7 million of lawyers have participated all over the country by abstaining from the court works to show their solidarity against the draconian Higher Education and Research Bill 2011,” BCI chairman M K Mishra said in a statement.

“All over the country members of the state bar councils and bar associations, advocates associations have jointly in one voice raised their objections against this draconian bill”, he added. Work in Supreme Court and Delhi High Court however remained unaffected but lawyers there appeared in courts wearing protest bands.

Besides lower courts, the judicial works took a severe beating also in high courts in the state capitals.