Sambalpur lawyers resume work after 22 days stalemate
Sambalpur lawyers resume work after 22 days stalemate
admin
Sambalpur: Members of Odisha's Sambalpur Bar Association, who have been boycotting courts since December 12, returned to work on Tuesday.
Former Bar president Sabir Ahmed told reporters on Tuesday that the attorneys had met with their colleagues in jail, including Sambalpur Bar president Sureswar Mishra, to discuss the restoration of court services. He stated that at the discussion, they resolved to resume their work in order to save the litigants' time and money.
The district administration has withdrawn the prohibitory order issued under Section 144 of the CrPC, and the police officers stationed on the court grounds have been removed.
Lawyers have been boycotting court proceedings in protest of the arrest of 54 lawyers for their involvement in vandalism at district judge Manas Barik's chamber on December 13. The event occurred during a demonstration by attorneys requesting the establishment of a separate bench of the Orissa high court.
They refused to back down, even though the State Bar Association urged them to abandon their stance and begin judicial proceedings for the benefit of thousands of people who were being harassed.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) has suspended the practice licenses of 14 other lawyers who allegedly used violence during the agitation for an 18-month term. It had already suspended all members of the district bar until further instructions and suspended the licenses of 29 advocates for 18 months.
Earlier, the Supreme Court instructed the Central Action Committee of the Bar Associations to withdraw the strike unconditionally. The court made it plain that there was no need for new benches in an age when technology, such as virtual courts and e-filing, is so widely used.
