Demolition Of Advocates' Chambers In Lucknow Without Prior Notice: Allahabad High Court Seeks Govt's Response On Rehabilitation Scheme

The direction was made by a Division Bench of Justices Pankaj Mithal and Manish Kumar in a plea filed by several Advocates whose chambers in the Sadar Tehsil at Lucknow were demolished all of a sudden on November 16, 2020.

It was alleged that lawyers of Tehsil Sadar were allowed to build chambers and occupy them. However, to their utter surprise on November 16, 34 chambers were demolished by the Government.

The Petitioners submitted that the said exercise was done without any notice or providing any opportunity of hearing. Further, no order of any competent authority directing for the demolition of the chambers was produced and placed before any lawyer.

The Court observed that even the Standing Counsel was not in a position to assign any reason as to why the chambers had been demolished and whether any notice or opportunity of hearing was given to the lawyers before undertaking the exercise of demolition.

In view thereof, the Court ordered the Standing Counsel to obtain necessary instructions in the matter within two weeks, and file a counter affidavit.

"He may specifically state in the counter affidavit if any scheme for rehabilitation of the lawyers is under preparation and if the Government is ready and willing to construct new building for the chambers of the lawyers and to allot them to the lawyers of Tehsil Sadar giving priority to the lawyers, who are already occupying chambers in the existing campus," the order states.

Further, the Court has said that no further demolition (of the remaining 74 chambers) would be undertaken by the Respondents in Tehsil Sadar.

The matter is now listed for hearing on December 9, 2020.

Case Title: Adv. Anand Kumar Shukla & Ors. v. State of UP & Ors.

Click Here To Download Order

Read Order