Lawyers on strike, work suffers in HC

Allahabad, May 16 Allahabad : Bar protests deployment of force in court; to start ‘jail bharo’ movement on Monday
No judicial work could take place in the Allahabad High Court on Friday as lawyers observed a complete strike, protesting against the deployment of police force in the court campus.
On the fourth day of their agitation against the custodial death of their colleague, S K Awasthi, the members of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association (HCBA) also formed a human chain.
Their agitation will continue on Monday, when the HCBA members plan to launch a ‘jail bharo’ movement, said Bar president V C Mishra. On Friday morning, the lawyers assembled at the High Court and held a demonstration, demanding immediate withdrawal of force from the court campus. They condemned the move, stating that this was unprecedented in the history of the Allahabad High Court.
About the ‘jail bharo’ movement, the HCBA president said he had held talks with the lawyers of the state and they were unanimous on their decision to launch the agitation on Monday, if the deployment of force was not withdrawn.
“We condemned the custodial death of S K Awasthi and demanded a high-level probe into the matter. The deployment of force makes us feel like outlaws. We will abstain from judicial work until the decision to deploy force in the campus is recalled,” said Mishra.
The lawyers of all district courts and tehsils of the state will join them in the movement, Mishra added.
As a result of the lawyers’ strike, the hearing of the case pertaining to the custodial death of Awasthi could not take place either. The court was to hear the case on Friday and had called the Naini jail superintendent to file an affidavit on the alleged torture of Awsathi in custody.
Express News Service
Posted online: Saturday , May 17, 2008 at 01:42:05Updated: Saturday , May 17, 2008 at 01:42:05
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