Lawyers call off strike after month-long shutdown across

Lawyers suspended their strike on Friday after a month-long of absolute shutdown across courts in Bengal, which was called to protest alleged excesses by police during a clash between advocates and civic employees in Howrah.

Bar Council of West Bengal vice-president Siddhartha Mukhopadhyay said that lawyers have been requested to join work from Saturday.

"The Bar Council executive has decided to temporarily suspend the ceasework till September 2, when it will discuss a report that will be placed by the one-man commission appointed by the Calcutta High Court to look into the issue," Mukhopadhyay said.

The report is likely to be submitted before the high court in the last week of August.

A division bench of the high court appointed the commission after hearing a suo motu case initiated by Chief Justice T B N Radhakrishnan with regard to the clash that occurred on April 24.

Several persons, including lawyers, were injured in the incident when police allegedly entered the Howrah court premises, without requisite permissions, and baton charged to control the mob.

Lawyers of the Howrah district court and the staff of Howrah Municipal Corporation, premises of which are located opposite to each other, had allegedly clashed over issues relating to parking of vehicles.

Following the incident, the Bar Council asked all bar associations, representing lawyers at different courts in the state, to observe ceasework.

The council has been extending the ceasework ever since it began on April 26, demanding action against the police personnel involved.