Protests against the scheme began last month, with the lawyers deciding to go on strike from March 23 to March 25. The State Bar Council had demanded that the High Court revoke its scheme, failing which lawyers across the strike would boycott courts.
The High Court subsequently took suo motu cognizance of the strike, calling it a “sad day for the State of Madhya Pradesh“. Chief Justice Ravi Malimath had warned the striking advocates that contempt action would be taken against them if the boycott was not called off.
Justifying the need for the scheme to dispose of old cases, the Court said in this order,
“We are of the considered view that the duty of a lawyer is to uphold the rule of law. It is he, who fights for the legal rights of a litigant. There are almost 20 Lakh cases pending in the district court judiciary and more than 4 Lakh cases pending in the High Court. Every effort is being made by the Hon’ble High Court to reduce the pendency. The action of the respondent No.1 seeking to abstain from court work is opposed to the well established principles of the legal profession. The respondent No.1 cannot call for an illegal act to be done.”
Source: Barandbench
