Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha : Half Day/Holiday For Many Courts/Tribunals; Bar Associations Request No Adverse Orders Be Passed Due To Absence

In light of the upcoming Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony scheduled for Monday, January 22, several government and private organizations have announced full or half-day holidays.

The event has seen bar associations requesting judicial forums to either suspend judicial work for the day or not pass adverse orders due to the non-appearance of lawyers or litigants. 

The High Court of Himachal Pradesh has declared a public holiday for itself and the District Judiciary in the State on January 22.  

Tribunals:

Various tribunals have also declared holidays or half-days in observance of the consecration ceremony. 

Earlier, the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India had released a notification stating, “Due to overwhelming sentiment of the employees and request from them, Central Government announces half day closing till 2:30 PM on 22nd January at all Central Government Offices, Central Institutions and Central Industrial Establishments throughout India on occassion of Ram Temple Pran Pratistha Ceremony.”

In view of the above DoPT notification, on Friday, the National Company Law Tribunal announced that all its 15 benches will be closed for half a day till 2:30 PM on January 22nd, in view of the Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha ceremony being held at Ayodhya. The NCLT Registry will start working from 3 PM and the NCLT benches will take up urgent matters from 3 PM to 4.30 PM.

The administrative side of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) will also remain closed until 2:30 PM on January 22 due to the Ram Mandir inauguration. The NCDRC emphasized that judicial functioning will continue according to the convenience of the benches, and rescheduled dates will be notified as per the instructions of the respective benches if matters listed for January 22, 2024, are adjourned.

The principal bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) will also be closed on January 22, while other benches of the CAT will observe a half-day holiday on that day.

Similarly, the National Green Tribunal, through an office order, declared closure until 2:30 PM on January 22 on both the judicial and administrative sides.

Resolutions By Bar Councils and Other Bar Associations:

The Punjab & Haryana High Court Bar Association yesterday announced work suspension on January 22. 

The High Court Bar Association Allahabad yesterday decided to abstain from judicial work on January 22 (Monday), on account of the Consecration Ceremony. A meeting of the executive committee of the Association convened yesterday at 3:30 pm and made this decision, with High Court Bar Association President Ashok Kumar Singh presiding over the meeting.

The Chairman of the Bar Council of India, Manan Kumar Mishra, had earlier appealed to the Chief Justice of India for a court holiday on January 22 due to the Pran Pratistha ceremony.

Adish C. Agarwala, the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, also wrote to the Chief Justice of India to advise all benches not to issue adverse orders in light of lawyers' non-appearance on January 22. 

Similarly, the Secretary General of the Gujarat High Court Advocates' Association, Hardik Brahmbhatt, wrote to Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal of the Gujarat High Court with the same request.

The New Delhi Bar Association, in a letter to the Principal District and Sessions Judge of the Patiala House Court, requested judicial officers not to issue adverse orders due to the absence of advocates and litigants on January 22.

Lastly, on January 20, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association had also requested district judiciary, revenue courts, tribunals, and other legal forums not to issue adverse orders against lawyers on January 22 in consideration of their absence.