DHCBA calls off strike over pecuniary jurisdiction issue, lawyers to resume work from Friday
New Delhi, July 16
The Delhi High Court Bar Association on Thursday suspended its call for abstention from work over the proposed enhancement of the pecuniary jurisdiction of Delhi's District Courts after receiving assurances from Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and following a meeting with Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
With the decision, lawyers will resume appearing before the Delhi High Court from Friday.
In a statement, the DHCBA said the Chief Justice had invited its Executive Committee to submit a representation on the issue and assured that the concerns raised by the Bar would be duly considered.
"In view of the meeting with the Hon'ble Union Law Minister and on being called upon by the Hon'ble Chief Justice DHC, who has asked for a representation from the EC DHCBA with an assurance to look into the same, the members are informed that the Executive Committee of the DHCBA has unanimously resolved to suspend its call for abstention from work, for now," the statement said.
The Association also thanked its members for extending their cooperation and solidarity during the period of abstention from work.
At the same time, the DHCBA made it clear that it has not withdrawn its opposition to the proposal to increase the pecuniary jurisdiction of Delhi's District Courts from ₹2 crore to ₹10 crore.
"The efforts of the Bar for the cause will, however, continue unabated," the Bar Association said, indicating that it would continue pursuing the issue through appropriate representations.
The DHCBA has been opposing the proposal to enhance the pecuniary jurisdiction of Delhi's District Courts from ₹2 crore to ₹10 crore, arguing that the move would transfer a substantial number of high-value civil and commercial disputes from the Delhi High Court to the district judiciary.
To register its protest, the Bar Association had called upon its members to abstain from work before the Delhi High Court. During the protest, advocates refrained from appearing in court both physically and virtually.
Following discussions with the Union Law Minister and the assurance from the Chief Justice that the Bar's representation would be examined, the Executive Committee decided to suspend the strike.
However, the Association has maintained that it will continue its efforts against the proposed enhancement of pecuniary jurisdiction through dialogue with the concerned authorities.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Yeh sab drama ka kya fayda? Ultimately, bar associations will agree after some backroom talks. But seriously, district courts already overburdened - increasing jurisdiction without adding judges is just shifting load. Lawyers should focus on improving infrastructure rather than just protesting.
Finally! Common sense prevails. Clients were suffering due to this strike. But DHCBA should have negotiated before calling strike. Now they say 'efforts continue unabated' - matlab abhi bhi pressure banaye rahenge. Hope Chief Justice's assurance is genuine and they don't drag this.
As a litigant, I'm relieved 🙏. But why do lawyers always resort to strikes? This disrupts poor litigants who can't afford delays. The pecuniary jurisdiction issue is valid but should be resolved through dialogue, not by holding courts hostage. At least they've seen sense now.
Strikes are not the solution yaar! The work from Friday is good, but Bar should have focused on representation to Chief Justice first, not on abstention. Now they'll have to work double time to clear backlog. Anyway, happy that lawyers are back - courts need to function smoothly.
Ab samajh aa gaya ki 'efforts will continue' ka matlab kya hai. They need to present their case properly to Chief Justice. Increasing jurisdiction from ₹2 crore to ₹10 crore is a big jump - district courts need more judges and better infrastructure. Otherwise lawyers have point.
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