68 Out Of Total 102 Adjournments On Account Of “Strikes” Leaves Allahabad High Court Surprised, Local Bar Association Office Bearers Summoned

The Allahabad High Court, after noting that in a Revenue Case, 68 out of the total 102 adjournments have been due to strike calls, has summoned office bearers of the Bar Body for contempt.

The Court was considering a Petition seeking expeditious hearing of a case registered under Section 67 of the U.P. Revenue Code.

The Bench of Justice Alok Mathur held, "This court as well as Hon'ble Apex Court have considered this aspect and passed various orders requesting the bar associations not to recklessly go on strikes. It is surprising that out of the 102 dates fixed in the case on 68 dates the case was adjourned due to call for boycott or condolence by the local bar association. Surprisingly, for the last 21 dates from 27.5.2025 on each date the case has been adjourned on account of call for boycott by local bar association.....Prima facie, the proceedings could not take place due to strikes of the bar association and hence the case could not proceed in accordance with law.”

The Petitioner was represented by Advocate Ved Prakash Sharma while the Respondent was represented by C.S.C.

The Court took note of the fact that the case is being regularly adjourned on account of calls for boycott by the local bar association.

Stressing that the issue need serious consideration, the Court observed, ”On one hand, the proceedings before the revenue court are pending endlessly and the poor litigants having no other redress approaches this Court under Article 226/227 of the Constitution of India seeking a direction for expeditious disposal of the said proceedings but it has noticed that more or less of each date the proceedings cannot take place due to strikes by the local bar association.”

The Court also took note of the submission that frequent calls of strikes by the Bar Association are in gross violation of the judgments of the Supreme Court in Ex-Capt. Harish Uppal Vs. Union of India and Another, 2003 and Hussain and another Vs. Union of India, 2017 and District Bar Association, Deharadun through its Secretary Vs. Ishwar Shandilya & Ors, Special Leave Petition (Civil ) No. 5440 of 2020.

It thus went on to implead the President and the General Secretary of the Rudali Bar Association. The Court warned that professional misconduct on their part may amount to contempt of court.

"......issue notice to newly added respondent No.s 3 and 4 to show cause through counsel as to why appropriate proceedings should not be initiated against them for frequently calling for strikes of the bar association due to which the judicial work of the revenue courts is affected which is amount to willful disobedience of the judgment passed by Hon'ble Supreme Court in the case Ex-Capt. Harish Uppal (Supra), Hussain (Supra), District Bar Association Dehradun (Supra) as well as direction of the Court in Writ Petition N. 20263 (MS) of 2021", the Court observed.

The Court accordingly listed the matter for September 02, 2025.

Cause Title: Mohd. Najim Khan vs. The Tahsildar/ Assistant Collector First Class

Appearances:

Petitioner- Advocate Ved Prakash Sharma, Advocate Navneet Kumar Srivastava

Respondent- C.S.C.

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