Jharkhand High Court on Thursday instituted a contempt petition against the State Bar Council for calling a strike and sending notices to advocates who appeared before the HC during it.
Clamping a stay on the operation of the Bar Council's notice contemplating disciplinary action against seven lawyers for appearing before the HC, it ruled that the matter will be posted before the acting chief justice for further proceedings.
The contempt petition was moved before the bench of Justice Ananda Sen by senior advocate Anil Kumar Sinha.
The HC referred to a Supreme Court directive which said the Bar Council cannot call a strike and it is illegal. It issued notice to the chairman of the Jharkhand State Bar Council.
The Bar Council is on strike since January 6 to protest against the hike in court fees. On Wednesday it announced that the agitation will continue till January 13.
The court fees were increased after the state government passed the Court Fees Amendment Bill in the Assembly in 2022.
The Council has demanded the roll back of the court fee hike.
Meanwhile, a notice was issued by the Bar Council to the secretary of the Jharkhand High Court Advocates Association on Thursday seeking confirmation of appearance by the seven advocates before the HC. The notice said the Bar Council contemplates disciplinary action against them. The seven advocates against whom the Bar Council has threatened disciplinary action are Additional Advocate General Ashutosh Anand, former state advocate general Anil Kumar Sinha, besides its members Nilesh Kumar, Manoj Kumar Mishra, NK Ganjhu, Jitendra Kumar Pandey and Shailendra Kumar Tiwary.
- With PTI Input
