Ghaziabad lawyers' strike enters second day, thousands of cases delayed

Bar Associations in Ghaziabad held separate sit-ins over the recent police baton charge against them in the district judge's court as the strike by city advocates continued for the second day on Tuesday.

All four entry gates of the court were locked by the protesting lawyers, allowing only one gate to remain open exclusively for judges, magistrates, and judicial staff.

"Litigants arriving at the district court had to navigate a detour, with approximately 12,000 cases postponed due to the strike," according to a senior judicial officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

On October 29, a clash erupted between police and lawyers at the Ghaziabad district court in Uttar Pradesh following a heated argument between a judge and a lawyer.

On Tuesday, both the Bar Association of Ghaziabad and the District Bar Association were participating in the strike, holding separate sit-ins within the court compound to demand the suspension of District Judge Anil Kumar and disciplinary action against the police officers involved in the baton charge incident.

"The court resumed after Diwali on Monday, and judicial officers took their seats, but no lawyers appeared for cases," said Nahar Singh Yadav, former president of the Bar Association.

He added that Modinagar, Loni and Sadar Tehsil Bar Associations also joined the strike, abstaining from judicial work since Monday.

Currently, Ghaziabad district has 72 judicial officers presiding over the district and sessions court, additional district judges' court, magistrates' court, chief judicial magistrate's court, CBI court, family court, POCSO court, and MV Act court.

"The disruption is affecting cases across all these judicial bodies," senior advocate Sudhir Tyagi said.