STRIKING LAWYERS DON’T DESERVE ANY PROTECTION, SAYS TOP COURT

NEW DELHI: Lawyers striking work and impeding courts from hearing cases deserve no protection of the profession and should be arrested for the misdemeanour, the Supreme Court observed on Monday, directing the Odisha government to takes all necessary steps, including the power of preventive arrest, to ensure judicial works are not disrupted in the state due to advocates’ protests.

“When you (lawyers) obstruct the course of justice, you lose the respect and privilege of being the members of the bar... If you don’t want to work, leave the profession. Court work can’t stop, that’s all,” said a bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and AS Oka, as it took strong exception to bar associations of several districts preventing judicial officers, court staff and litigants from conducting court proceedings.

Directing the Odisha government to ascertain the safety of judges, court staff and litigants, the bench said in its order: “All appropriate steps, including preventive arrests, that are required in the wisdom of the administration should be taken. It is the administration’s duty to ensure courts are functional and no ingress or egress is affected.”

During the proceedings, the bench asked Odisha’s advocate general Ashok Parija: “Is the state government deprived of the power to arrest them? Arrest them... they have lost their privilege of being lawyers. They should be behind bars.” Parija, on his part, assured that the government will give all police assistance as may be required for the functioning of the courts.

About the bar associations’ demand to make additional benches of the high court in various districts including Cuttack and Sambalpur, the bench said that the demand is evidently unreasonable, particularly in view of the video-conferencing facility being made available.