Chandigarh: Lawyers across Punjab have launched a three-day ‘no-work’ strike to protest against several unresolved issues affecting the legal fraternity. As part of the statewide agitation, the District Bar Association Fatehgarh Sahib on Thursday staged a sit-in protest outside the district court complex, raising three major demands.
During the protest, lawyers completely boycotted court work, raised slogans against the government and judicial administration, and demanded immediate redressal of their concerns.
Former president of the District Bar Association, advocate Amardeep Singh Dharni, said strong objection was being raised to the courts’ decision to fix dates on a daily basis under the so-called ‘action plan’ for case hearings. He said assigning next dates every day was putting unnecessary pressure on lawyers and adversely affecting the quality of justice delivery.
Opposition to village courts
Dharni said the second major issue was the proposal to establish ‘village courts’ (gram courts) every two kilometres across the country. Lawyers believe such a move would weaken the role of existing courts and have a negative impact on the legal profession.
The third key demand relates to the appointment of ‘defence lawyers’ by courts. Protesters argued that such appointments could undermine the independence of the legal profession and disrupt the existing system of advocacy.
Warning of intensified agitation
The lawyers warned that if their demands were not considered seriously, the agitation would be intensified in the coming days. They said the protest was not only for safeguarding the interests of lawyers but also aimed at ensuring a balanced and robust justice system.
Court proceedings remained affected in Fatehgarh Sahib as part of the statewide strike.
