Allahabad High Court lawyers join nation-wide strike

Judicial work was paralysed at the Allahabad High Court today as advocates here joined a nation-wide strike in protest against proposed amendments in the Advocates Act.
A meeting was held this morning in front of the main gate of the sprawling court premises where High Court Bar Association president Anil Tiwari told lawyers "the Advocates (Amendment) Bill brought by Law Commission of India Chairman Justice B S Chauhan is draconian".
He said as per the proposed amendments "a judge or a judicial officer will be empowered to cancel the license of a legal practitioner whom he holds guilty of indiscipline, without giving any opportunity for hearing to the advocate".

"The proposed amendments also recommend sweeping changes in the functioning of the Bar Council of India.According to the Bill, more than half of the BCI members shall be nominated by a committee comprising a judge of the Supreme Court and the Central Vigilance Commissioner", Tiwari said.
"Similarly, for Bar Councils of states it has been recommended that more than half of their members be nominated by the respective High Courts and the members shall include those involved in professions other than law practice", the HCBA president alleged.
"In protest against these draconian, anti-lawyer, unconstitutional moves, the Bar Council of India has called for a nation-wide strike today.We must rise to the occasion and offer full support to the agitation", he added.

Meanwhile, the strike also affected work in other judicial bodies like the Central Administrative Tribunal's bench here.
There have been no reports of any untoward incident so far from any part of the city, where advocates' agitations have been known to turn violent and get out of hand.