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Seeks Withdrawal of Lawyer Strikes After Attacks on Advocates in Baruipur
In a strongly worded proceeding, the on Wednesday expressed grave concern over a spate of attacks on advocates and the resulting strikes by lawyers at two subordinate courts. A Division Bench of Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge and Justice Om Narayan Rai directed immediate steps to restore normal functioning, calling the strikes “counter productive” to the interests of litigants.
The Incident That Sparked the
The matter was triggered by an incident on , when was allegedly attacked by unknown persons within the premises of the after he appeared in a criminal proceeding. According to reports, the assailants pelted eggs at him and shouted slogans of “Sayan Banerjee go back”. The court took note of the incident and directed the Superintendent of Police, South 24 Parganas, to submit a report. Based on that report, the court registered the matter as a .
Court Disturbed by Strikes at Two Courts
During the hearing, informed the Bench that further “untoward incidents” had taken place within the precincts of the , and at the in Hooghly district. He added that lawyers at both courts had commenced strikes. The Bench said it was “equally disturbed” by this development.
“It is apparent that this Court was concerned about the incident that was conveyed… We are now equally disturbed because a strike has commenced in the above stated two Court premises,” the judges observed in their order.
The court emphasised that continuation of the strikes would be “counter productive” since “several litigants would be losing opportunities to have their cases heard and decided on the scheduled dates, inasmuch as, adjournment of matters would result in causing grave hardships to every litigants.”
Submits Draft Petition
, appointed as , tendered a memo of petition arraying 71 respondents, including , all District Magistrates, Superintendents of Police, Commissioners of Police, , , and several local bar associations. The court issued notice to Respondent Nos. 1 to 70, returnable on . The Additional Advocates General and the Additional Solicitor General waived service on behalf of the State and respectively.
Security Measures and Preservation of Evidence
The Additional Advocates General assured the court that they would “convey to the concerned authorities of the State Government to beef up the security in all the Courts so as to ensure that no further untoward incident occurs.” The court also directed that the CCTV footage from the Baruipur incident be preserved, noting that the police report indicated an unknown person was seen throwing an object.
Bar Council Steps In to End Strikes
, an elected member of the present in court, volunteered to approach the office bearers of the concerned bar associations to persuade them to call off the strikes. He assured the court that he would be accompanied by other council members. The matter has been listed on , specifically to receive a report on the withdrawal of the strikes.
The Bench made it clear that while the main would be heard on December 11, the interim listing on October 12 would focus solely on ensuring that the lawyers’ strikes are called off forthwith, in the interest of litigants and the administration of justice.
The case continues to be monitored by the court, with the clear message that attacks on advocates and disruptions to court functioning will not be tolerated.
