The Madhya Pradesh High Court recently directed lawyers in the State who are on a three-day strike against a scheme for disposing of pending cases to cease their protests and resume work immediately.
A division bench comprising of Chief Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice Vishal Mishra warned that the striking lawyers will face contempt of court action if the decision was not implemented.
Concerned about the state of affairs, the bench stated, “Whatever may be the issues being faced by the lawyers, they cannot exercise their rights without first performing their duty. Their duty is to protect the legal rights of the litigants… Today is the second day, the lawyers are abstaining from attending the court. The entire judicial system is intended only for the benefit of the litigants… If advocates themselves abstain from work due to the call given by the respondent No.1, it is indeed a very sad day for the State of Madhya Pradesh.”
The protests are in response to a scheme proposed by the High Court administration in which district courts are required to identify and dispose of the 25 oldest cases in each court within three months. It is believed that the move would place undue strain on lawyers and judges, and that resolving 25 cases in such a short period of time would be impossible.
The Chairman of the Bar Council of Madhya Pradesh issued a communication asking the entire legal profession to boycott from court work in protest of the policy.
He also notified Chief Justice Malimath in a letter that unless the High Court revoked the policy by March 22, lawyers would begin striking from March 23, 2023.
