Coordination committee decides not to recall or defer lawyers' strike in Delhi from Sep 8

New Delhi, Sep 6 (PTI) The coordination committees of all bar associations of Delhi's district courts will not defer or recall the advocates' strike scheduled to begin from September 8, according to a communication.

The communication from the New Delhi Bar Association (NDBA) said a meeting of the committee was held on Saturday regarding the issue of police virtually presenting evidence in courts from police stations.

"We firmly stand on our demand and reiterate that police personnel have to appear only in physical mode in the courts for the purpose of deposition/evidence," it said.

NDBA secretary Tarun Rana said a letter was received from the Bar Council of India chairman on Saturday, addressed to the presidents and secretaries of all the district court bar associations of Delhi, asking them to recall the ongoing agitation.

"However, we would like to make it crystal clear that the coordination committee has raised the agitation to protect the interests of the public at large and will continue with the agitation till our genuine demand is met.

"It has been unanimously resolved that if our above-mentioned genuine demand that all the police officials have to appear physically before the court for deposition/evidence, which is in the benefit of the public at large for the purpose of a fair and free trial, is not acceded to, we shall continue with our call for indefinite abstention from work from September 8 and the same shall be in more intensified manner," Rana was quoted as saying in the communication from the NDBA.

On Thursday, the committee condemned a letter from the police commissioner's office to the principal district and sessions judges about the proposed means of police virtually presenting evidence in courts, and announced the indefinite and intensified lawyers' strike from Monday, saying it was contrary to the assurance given to it by authorities.

On August 13, the lieutenant governor issued a notification on the issue, which prompted city lawyers to go on strike.

The protest, which started on August 22, ended on August 28 after a meeting with a representative of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and a statement from the Delhi Police commissioner, clarifying that the notification would become operational after all stakeholders were heard. PTI MNR RC