New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) on Thursday called off its strike after the Delhi police commissioner said that lieutenant governor VK Saxena’s notification—allowing police officers to depose before court via video conferencing from designated police stations—will only take effect after consultation with all stakeholders.
DHCBA leaders said the development followed a meeting with the union home ministry, during which it was communicated that union home minister Amit Shah would meet representatives of the Bar to discuss and resolve their concerns regarding the notification.
A statement issued by Delhi police commissioner Satish Golcha said that, in view of the concerns raised by members of the Bar, “the operation of the said notification on the ground would be carried out after hearing all stakeholders.”
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The August 13 notification designated all 226 police stations in the Capital as video-conferencing centres for officers to provide evidence, in line with the draft model rules of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, to “improve efficiency and save time.”
Lawyers, who have been protesting against the notification across Delhi’s district courts for almost a week, claim the move “undermines fair trial standards” and could lead to “manipulation of evidence” by the police.
{{/usCountry}}Lawyers, who have been protesting against the notification across Delhi’s district courts for almost a week, claim the move “undermines fair trial standards” and could lead to “manipulation of evidence” by the police.
{{/usCountry}}Lawyers held a sit-in outside court complexes on Monday and boycotted proceedings on Tuesday and Wednesday, alleging that the move facilitates manipulation of evidence and erodes the fairness of trials.
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The DHCBA last Friday condemned the order. The Supreme Court Bar Association called the notification a threat to judicial independence. On Monday, the Bar Council of India wrote to Saxena seeking its immediate withdrawal, warning that such testimony undermines judicial control over proceedings and increases the risk of procedural errors.
HT had earlier reported how such strikes stand in direct defiance of multiple Supreme Court rulings, which call lawyers’ strikes illegal and unethical, obstructing justice and violating the rights of litigants to access courts.