Bar strikes work against ‘misbehaviour’ by Judge

Tribune News Service
Panchkula, March 14

Members of the Panchkula Bar Association (PBA) struck work in the local courts today in protest against the alleged misbehaviour by a Judge against a lawyer, causing harassment to litigants.

The association, which was demanding the transfer of the Judge, did not allow the courts to function, causing harassment to the litigants, who had come from far-off places. Even the high-profile Samjhauta blast case, in which 68 persons, mostly Pakistanis, had lost their lives, had to be deferred to March 18 as the protesting lawyers did not allow the NIA counsel as well as counsel for the Pakistani witnesses to enter the court.

The Judge had allegedly directed one of the lawyers to go out when the latter was talking to his client in the courtroom.

Advocate Umesh Kumar Mahour, president of the PBA, said they had struck work today in protest against the misbehaviour by the Judge. He said they would hold a meeting with the District and Sessions Judge tomorrow to resolve the issue. He said they did not want the court work to be affected as it caused unnecessary harassment to the litigants.

Mahour said they were hopeful that the matter would be resolved as the delivery of justice was the main aim of both judges as well as lawyers. He said the next course of action would be decided after the meeting tomorrow.

One of the litigants, who had come from Ambala, said on condition of anonymity that his case was pending in the court for the past over two years. He said such strikes not only delayed cases but also caused mental harassment to litigants, besides leading to a financial loss for them.

Association wants Judge transferred
The Panchkula Bar Association, which was demanding the transfer of the Judge, did not allow the courts to function, causing harassment to the litigants, who had come from far-off places. Even the high-profile Samjhauta blast case, in which 68 persons, mostly Pakistanis, had lost their lives, had to be deferred to March 18 as the protesting lawyers did not allow the NIA counsel as well as counsel for the Pakistani witnesses to enter the court.