Lawyers protest against amendment in Act

Legal Correspondent

Shimla, April 21

Advocates of the HP High Court and district court today abstained from the court work on the call given by the Bar Council of India (BCI) against the suggestions given by the Law Commission of India.

The BCI has given a call for a nationwide protest on April 21 against the Law Commission of India’s suggestion to the Central government for a drastic change in the Advocates Act-1961.

The lawyers are against the amendments proposed by the Law Commission in the Advocates Act and terming them “draconian, anti-lawyer, unconstitutional, undemocratic and anti-people. They are saying that the recommendations of the Law Commission are against the legal profession and legal education of the country.

President of the HP High Court Bar Association BP Sharma informed that on the call given by the BCI against the proposed amendments in the Advocates Act, the lawyers of the Himachal Pradesh High Court Bar Association abstained from the court work.

Sundernagar: Lawyers of District Bar Association Mandi today observed a complete strike against the proposed Advocate (Amendment) Bill 2017. They burnt the copies of Bill and submitted a memorandum to Central government through Deputy Commissioner, Mandi, seeking withdrawal of the proposed amendment.

Desh Raj Sharma, former chairman of Bar Council of HP, said a one-day strike was observed in Mandi district as per call given by the Bar Council of India. Lawyers assembled in the court campus of the district courts and took out a procession raising slogans against the proposed amendment. They burnt the copies of the recommendation of Law Commission and proposed Bill in the Chauhata Bazar.

President of District Bar Association Mandi Sanjay Mandyal and former vice chairman of Bar Council of HP Narinder Guleria addressed the gathering and apprised them how the government was planning to control the autonomy of legal profession.

Strike was also observed in various sub divisional courts at Sundernagar, Sarkaghat, Jogindernagar, Gohar and Karsog in these places the lawyers boycotted their work and burnt the copies of proposed bill and recommendation of the Law Commission. Earlier the lawyers had observed strike on March 31.