The West Bengal Bar Council, which organized a strike by almost 25,000 lawyers, could face legal action by a member of the West Bengal High Court Bar Association.
The strike, which took place on 20 November, paralyzed more than 200 courts as advocates stayed away from work.
Uttam Mazumdar, vice-president of the Bar Association and vice-chairman of the West Bengal Bar Council, said the “cease work” was organized to protest against bloodshed in Nandigram in March when “police unexpectedly started firing” on unarmed villagers protesting against land acquisitions.
He claims that advocates and lawyers from 101 bar associations participated in the protest.
Petitioner Basabi Roy Chowdhury urged the Calcutta High Court to initiate contempt proceedings against the West Bengal Bar Council’s executive committee members for organizing the strike.
Chowdhury argued that the state bar council members had violated a Supreme Court judgment of December 1998 that bared lawyers from calling a strike or observing a “cease work”.
The strike caused severe delays to the courts’ overburdened schedules. Nearly 2,000 cases are pending before the Calcutta High Court, while about 13,000 cases await disposal in the lower courts of Bengal.
“Lawyers often stay away from court for various protests and petitions. For the sake of litigants, this should be stopped,” lawyer Supradip Roy told the Telegraph.
