Orissa Lawyer's Strike: High Court Bar Association Resolves To Resume Work

In a General Body Meeting held today, under the leadership of Gopal Krushna Mohanty, President of the HCBA, the HCBA resolved,

"In considering the request of the Bar Council of India and the majority opinion of the Senior Advocates and the Action Committee members and further taking into consideration the assurance of Hon'ble Law Minister of India to look into the grievances and demands of our Bar Association, the High Court Bar Association resolves to suspend the "abstaining from Court work" and resume the court work in the interest of Litigant public while continuing struggle for protecting the interest of lawyers and the Bar Association and raising it's voice against unfair and arbitrary action of the authorities undermining the dignity and independence of judiciary in the appropriate forums."

The Advocates in Orissa had been on strike, protesting against the decision of Collegium clearing the names of some candidate who practice in the Supreme Court, and not clearing the name of other candidates.

The HCBA had resorted to strike after a General Body Meeting of the Association convened on October 14, wherein the members had unanimously "condemned" the recent resolution and the attitude of the Supreme Court Collegium and the Orissa High Court Collegium.

Subsequently, the Full Court of the Orissa High Court took suo motu cognizance of the Resolution and issued contempt notice to the Association. However, the "unsavory environment created by the lawyers" hindered working of the courts so far that even the said suo motu proceedings had to be deferred.

The Supreme Court had also taken note of this strike in a transfer petition filed by Petitioner, M/s PLR Projects Ltd., seeking transfer of its case out of Orrisa as the strike had rendered it impossible to present his urgent case which was listed before the Chief Justice of the high court.

In the last hearing held on October 24, the Supreme Court had issued notices to the Chairman of the Orissa State Bar Council and the President of the Orissa HCBA while stating that it had little doubt that the conduct of the lawyers at Orissa amounted to contempt.