Calcutta HC paralysed as lawyers strike work to press for more judges
There are just 29 justices against the sanctioned strength of 72 judges at Calcutta high court.
kolkata Updated: Feb 19, 2018 23:16 IST
Hindustan Times, Kolkata
Normal functioning at Calcutta high court was totally paralysed on Monday, the first day of a five-day strike called by the Bar Association, demanding immediate filling up of the vacant posts of judges.
Around 10,000 lawyers are participating in the strike.
Bar Association member Kaushik Gupta said the sanctioned strength of judges is 72, while right now there are only 29 justices. “Two of the 29 judges are deputed at Port Blair circuit bench. There are more than 2.2 lakh pending cases at the Calcutta high court,” Gupta said.
Bar Association president Uttam Majumdar said that despite repeated requests the Centre did not take up any initiative to fill vacant posts of judges in the Calcutta high court. “In such a situation, we had no other option but to go for a five-day cease-work,” Majumdar said.
The strike is supported by the Bar Library and Incorporated Law Society. In a statement issued on Monday, the association requested the judges not to pass any ‘adverse order’ during the period of cease-work.
Although in December 2017, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended five more names as judges of Calcutta HC, the Centre is yet to clear them.
