The Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association (HCBA) on Monday resolved to boycott the Court of Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha demanding his transfer to another High Court.
The development comes against non-resumption of physical hearings in the High Court. The decision was taken at a General House Meeting of the Punjab High Court Bar Association, Chandigarh on Monday.
Work at the High Court has been suspended since March 21, 2020 even though movie theatres, schools, universities, pre-nursery schools, gyms, religious places, political gatherings, malls are functioning to their full capacity.
“The continuous closure of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which is the custodian of the Constitution and protector of fundamental rights is sending wrong signal in the society apart from taking away the livelihood of lawyers, stenos, clerks and other persons associated with the legal field and has become a continuous means of denial of justice,”
-the Bar Association said.
As per the resolution, all the speakers present at the meeting spoke in favour of immediate physical opening of the courts and despite repeated request for any contrary view, not a single member spoke against the motion.
The Chief Justice of India and Union Law Ministry shall be requested to immediately transfer the Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court, Chandigarh to any other High Court.
The member-Advocates have decided to boycott the Chief Justice’s Court until complete opening of physical Courts or until his transfer.
“The Executive Committee of HCBA would only meet the Hon’ble Judges, Bar & Bench Co-ordination Committee and Hon’ble the Chief Justice and would not attend a meeting where the State representatives i.e. Advocate Generals, Additional Solicitor General, Standing Counsel of U.T. are present,”
-the Resolution states.
It is further submitted that all such Members of the Bar, who appear in the Chief Justice’s Court despite the call given by the Executive Committee of HCBA, shall be debarred from the Bar Association.
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The Bar Association has removed Advocate General Atul Nanda as a member of the Association for allegedly acting against the interest of the Bar and working against physical hearings.