Saket court suicide: Protesting employees call off strike

New Delhi, Jan 10 (PTI) Employees of the Saket court here called off their proposed strike over the suicide of a staffer due to alleged excessive work pressure after a meeting with Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya.

During the two-hour meeting, Justice Upadhyaya passed necessary directions concerning the protesters' demands, including recruitment of more court staff to ease the work pressure, according to a circular issued by the District and Sessions Courts Employees Welfare Association (DSCEWA).

Harish Singh Mahar, an Ahlmad (administrative clerk) posted in court room 27 of the NI Act digital court of Judge Nandini Garg, jumped from the 5th floor of the north wing, Block A of the Saket Court complex, on Friday morning, police said.

Mahar, who suffered from 60 per cent disability, left behind a suicide note in which he cited unbearable work pressure and mental distress as the reason behind his extreme step.

The incident triggered protests inside the court complex. The court staff walked out of their rooms and announced that they would abstain from work.

They also met Principal District and Sessions Judge Gurvinder Pal Singh and urged him to take immediate action in the matter, but he asked them to file a writ petition.

Aggrieved by this, the employees announced that they would boycott the Lok Adalat proceedings scheduled for Saturday to protest their colleague's death.

The strike, however, was called off on Saturday following the protesters meeting with Justice Upadhyaya.

"Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, along with his companion lordships, had called us for the addressal (redressal) of our grievances and he heard us for nearly two hours and has passed necessary directions concerning all our demands," the DSCEWA said in its circular.

"Accordingly, the (strike) call stands called off. All members are requested to join/perform their duties as desired," it said.

Mahar was a resident of Faridabad and lived with his 94-year-old father. He had been working in the Saket court for the past three months. PTI SKM DIV DIV