lawyers at Tis Hazari Court on Monday went on a strike against the decision of Delhi Government to shift three police stations coming under Tis Hazari Courts to Dwarka District Courts. According to the lawyers on strike, the decision by the Delhi Government cabinet is arbitrary and illegal and has been passed without consulting the Delhi Bar Association.
The strike hampered the case proceedings as the lawyers abstained from appearance in courts even in urgent matters involving immediate injunctions and bails.
Under the reorganisation, Civil, Sessions, and Magistrate Courts of the three police stations — Janakpuri, Vikas Nagar, Uttam Nagar — will now come under the jurisdiction of Dwarka District Courts.
The Delhi Cabinet took the decision in June to reorganise the West and Southwest civil districts, sessions’ division and metropolitan areas of Delhi with a view to ‘ease administrative accesses for the public’. The cases already filed and pending before the Tis Hazari Courts will continue to be heard in the same court.
However, the Delhi Bar Association rejected the decision and said that it has been passed without any consultation and the Delhi Government has adopted a pick and choose method.
“There are several police stations in North, North-East and Shahdara Districts which have their proximity with Tis Hazari Courts but still fall within the jurisdiction of Rohini and Karkardooma Court Complexes. If a vesting of a police station within the jurisdiction of one court complex us to be decided on the basis of distance, then all the districts shall be reorganized on the principle of distance only and all police stations having closest proximity with Tis Hazari Courts Complex shall be transferred accordingly,” said Divya Darshan Sharma, Hony. Secretary, Delhi Bar Association.
Taking the strike further, the Delhi Bar Association has written a letter seeking an appointment with Najeeb Jung, lieutenant Governor of the national capital to inform him about the situation.