SC Asks Bar Council Of India To File An Affidavit On Action Taken Against Strikes By Lawyers

New Delhi, July 18 (TNA) The Supreme Court on Monday said that preventing courts from functioning is not acceptable. Along with this, it has asked the Bar Council of India (BCI) to file an affidavit, asking what action has been taken when Bar Associations have given strike calls in the last one year.

The apex court, while hearing a contempt petition filed by NGO Common Cause for alleged violation of its order against the lawyers' strike, said the real issue was that the functioning of courts should not be disrupted.

A bench of Justices SK Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia said that the courts cannot stop functioning. People (accused) are not getting bail due to huge pendency of cases. The bench said- When the work is not done, then it becomes very difficult for the courts to accommodate it. These are practical problems. When you stop the functioning of the courts, then this is something which is not acceptable.

BCI chairman and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra told the bench that the apex bar body has framed rules on the issue. Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO, said he has not received the copy of the rules.