RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Jan 13: Advocates across the state, who were abstaining from court proceedings since January 6 to protest against the court fee hike, will start appearing in the court on January 16 as unusual.
The situation came after the general body of Jharkhand State Bar Council, which had given direction for non-appearance in the courts to over 33000 advocates across the state, withdrew its direction today.
Bar Council Chairman Rajendra Krishna confirmed the development saying the decision was taken after a general body meeting in the wake of direction from the chairman of the Bar Council of India.
“BCI chairman wanted advocates of Jharkhand to appear in the court. After his instruction came to us, we held a general body meeting and decided to allow advocates to appear in the court,” Chairman Krishna said.
Asked whether the Jharkhand government also took any initiative to convince agitating advocates to return to their work, Chairman Krishna said, “No”.
Asked whether the agitation has come to an end without any healthy conclusion on the matter of the court fee hike, Chairman Krishna said, “Yes” adding that, “the decision has been taken to continue agitation without abstaining from the court in the matter.”
The development took place a day after Jharkhand High Court stayed Bar Council’s letter seeking information about lawyers appearing in the court defying the council’s direction. The bench of Justice Ananda Sen, passed the order when former advocate general of the state Anil Kumar Sinha moved a contempt petition against Jharkhand State Bar Council.
