Lawyers Cannot Go On Strike or Abstain from Judicial Work: Supreme Court

New Delhi: Lawyers cannot go on strike or abstain from legal work; said the Supreme Court on Thursday. The apex court also directed all High Courts to constitute state-level grievance redressal committees headed by the chief justice. Advocates are to make representations for the redressal of “genuine problems” before these committees.

A bench headed by Justices MR Shah and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said that a separate grievance redressal committees be constituted at the district court level to provide a forum, where lawyers could seek redressal of their genuine grievances related to procedural changes in filing or listing of cases or misbehavior of member of the lower judiciary.

“We once again reiterate that no member of the bar can go on strike…Time and again this court has emphasized that advocates going on strike or abstaining from their work hampers judicial work”, the bench said.

The court disposed of an application filed by the District Bar Association of Dehradun seeking an appropriate forum for the redressal of their complaints and directed the registry to send the copy of this order to the registrar general of all high courts for taking steps in accordance with the order.