Why Can't Lawyers Be Allowed On Local Trains? Bombay High Court Asks Maharashtra Govt In Bar Council's Plea

Hearing a PIL filed by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa against the exclusion of lawyers from local travel, Chief Justice Dipankar Datta said he has observed several trains are empty during the morning hours. And merely 2000 lawyers have shown interest in travelling by the local train.

The Chief justice added that he would take up the issue during the administrative committee on July 1 and asked the government pleader to inform the Advocate General so that the State could take a decision in this regard.

"…Otherwise, one year later, the pendency will be such that even if you have 100 judges in the Bombay High Court we will not be able to get matters disposed of."

During the hearing, advocate Uday Warunjikar, on behalf of the Bar Council, said that lawyers face tremendous hardships while commuting, spending 2-3 hours on travel. He submitted that 1,000 State Transport Buses deployed had been withdrawn in view of the COVID situations.

The minimum waiting time to get onto a bus is half an hour, he said.

The chief justice said he would take up the issue in the following administrative meeting on July 1. "If the decision does not favour the advocates on the administrative side we will take it up on the judicial side", he said.

"Mr Kakade please inform the Advocate General, because of the absence of transport facilities, the result is that the pendency is going up. We need to consider some measures. Otherwise one year later the pendency will be such that even if you have 100 judges in the Bombay High Court we will not be able to get matters disposed of.

Most of the trains I see while coming to court are vacant. Why can't you allow? We heard on the last date, only around 2000 lawyers need to use local trains. Please inform the Advocate General so that he can discuss it with people who are at the helm of affairs and on July 1 we would like to hear a decision," the chief justice added.