The decision of a majority of lawyers of the Calcutta High Court to stay away from proceedings on Friday evoked a strong reaction from a Division Bench, which said the lawyers’ attitude would discourage youngsters from joining the profession.
Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, sitting on the Division Bench, said it was the duty of the Bar to help the Bench function smoothly.
“What will you get to make litigant unhappy? Client is your God. They give you livelihood,” Justice Chellur told Advocate-General Jayanta Mitra. Justice Bagchi said preventing the court from working could not be a matter of pride for lawyers. “Most of the youngsters are now going to the corporate sector. This kind of environment in the High Court pressures them to think before they come to this profession,” he said.
Differences between the Calcutta High Court Bar Association, backed by the ruling Trinamool Congress, and the Chief Justice over holding proceedings on Friday surfaced a few days ago.
In West Bengal, Holi was celebrated as Dol Jatra on March 5 this year, a court holiday. However, the government declared March 5 and 6 holidays, and the High Court Bar Association demanded a similar arrangement in the court.
Bar Association representatives said they met the Chief Justice earlier this week and requested her that March 6 be declared a holiday. The Chief Justice told them that that could be done only if the lawyers agreed to work on March 18, a Saturday.
Differences between the lawyers backed by the ruling party and judges at district courts have come to the fore at least on two occasions in the recent past. In January 2015, a woman judge of a court at Sreerampore in Hooghly district complained to the High Court that some lawyers were obstructing litigants and boycotting her. In February, lawyers representing Transport Minister Madan Mitra virtually held a judge hostage for several hours to prevent him from taking cognisance of a section against Mr. Mitra in the Saradha scam.
