Lawyers strike over physical filing of cases, nine detained

Vadodara: A group of lawyers sat on hunger strike outside the district court here on Thursday morning demanding that physical filing of cases should resume. However, a few minutes into the agitation nine advocates were detained by Gotri police.
The lawyers had been threatening to hold a strike for past some days over their demand. They also demanded that courts should take up cases of Negotiable Instruments Act and other civil matters and also conduct physical hearing where only advocates of concerned case are present.
Since the Gujarat high court asked lower courts to conduct online hearing of urgent cases like bail applications, land acquisition and motor accident claim petition, advocates have been filing petitions through emails. However, many have been facing bitter experience in e-filing of cases. Lawyers have been complaining that their emails are not noticed, and registration of cases have been taking longer time.
“Earlier a bail plea which used to get disposed of in four to five days is taking more than 10 days from the date mailing the application. We have to call the court staff and remind them to register our cases and even after that they raise queries in our petitions,” said an advocate. A senior advocate said that e-filing should have made the process smooth and quicker, but it is not solving the purpose.
On July 21, the president of Baroda Bar Association Hasmukh Bhatt had an online meeting with high court justices regarding the same issue. “The justices have told me that they will deliberate among themselves and decide on the issue,” said Bhatt. He added that junior advocates are the worst affected and until physical hearing will resume their situation is not going to be changed.