The ‘cease work’ by lawyers at the Calcutta High Court entered the 15th day on Monday. Nearly 10,000 members of three lawyers’ associations of the High Court began the protest on February 19 against the shortage of judges in the court.
The Calcutta High Court currently has only 29 judges against the scheduled strength of 72. The cease work protest has caused severe inconvenience to thousands of litigants. More than 2.20 lakh cases were pending before the court as of January 31 this year.
Speaking to The Hindu , a senior lawyer said that his client, a resident of north Kolkata, had filed a case against some illegal construction work near his residence in 2013. “The case has been pending in the court for nearly five years now. Due to the cease work protest, the hearing could not take place twice since February 19,” the lawyer said.
He said that the shortage of judges was a key reason behind the increasing number of pending cases in court. “The judges are overburdened here and it is extremely difficult for them to dispose of such a large number of pending cases,” the lawyer said.
Another such case was filed towards the end of 2015 by an elderly resident of Uluberia in Howrah district regarding alleged delay in providing electricity connection. “The hearing of the case got delayed twice ,” the lawyer said.
The cease work has also led to severe discontent among a section of lawyers at the High Court. Describing the protest as ‘futile’, the chairman of the Trinamool Congress Legal Cell, Pantu Deb Roy, said: “We are not supporting the cease work. This will only add to the woes of the litigants.” He also said that “strike should be the last resort. I don’t find any logic in cease work”.
Senior High Court lawyer Bijoy Adhikary said that cease work is an aimless decision. "Why should common people and other lawyers suffer because of the illogical moves of some lawyers?" he said.
Defending the move, Uttam Majumdar, the president of the Calcutta High Court Bar Association, said: “It is aimed towards the larger interest of people. Unless the acute shortage of judges is resolved, the sufferings of litigants will continue.” The bar association would take a call on whether to continue the cease work on Tuesday.
