Thaindian News

New Delhi, July 12 (IANS) Lawyers of the Delhi High Court Thursday abstained from attending the court and joined a two-day strike called by the Bar Council of India (BCI) to protest a proposed legislation that could affect its autonomy and allow entry of foreign law institutes and universities in India.

The strike, called for Wednesday and Thursday, is to protest four proposed legislations, including the National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill, 2010.

The strike has paralysed functioning of the high court and six district courts in Delhi, lawyers said.

The high court lawyers had not joined the protest Wednesday, but abstained from work Thursday.

Mostly, proxy counsel appeared before the court to get next date of hearing.

“We are not on strike, but are abstaining ourselves from going to court,” Delhi High Court Bar Association president A.S. Chandhiok told IANS.

The strike has paralysed all judicial proceedings in the city’s six district courts complexes at Patiala House, Tis Hazari, Rohini, Dwarka, Saket and Karkardooma.

President of Rohini Court Bar Association Inder Singh Saroha told IANS that lawyers’ strike aimed at telling the government not to go against the legal fraternity.

“If the government does not hear our demands, we can call for a nationwide agitation,” said Saroha.

Secretary of New Delhi Bar Association Jagdeep Vats called the strike successful since none of counsel appeared in any city court.

The city lawyers were on strike at the BCI’s call, said chairman of Delhi District Courts Bar Association Co-ordination Committee and president of Delhi Bar Association R.N. Vats.

Work in courts across the country was severely affected Wednesday too, after around 17 lakh lawyers joined the strike.