'Please Stand By The Cause': Delhi High Court Bar President Appeals To Lawyers Appearing Despite Call For Abstention

The Delhi High Court Bar Association's (DHCBA) President, Senior Advocate N Hariharan, appealed to the lawyers not to appear before the High Court today, in protest against the proposed enhancement of the pecuniary jurisdiction of Delhi's District Courts from Rs. 2 crore to Rs. 10 crore.

The incident happened before a bench headed by Justice Navin Chawla where Hariharan appeared and urged the counsel appearing today to abstain from work and stand by the cause of the lawyers' body.

“You think it will not come on the criminal side also? It will come on criminal side also. For God's sake, when we stand on a cause, please be with us. I request all my members. I cannot stop the proceedings of the court but I can tell you people to make a request….,” Hariharan said.

On this, the Court remarked that it was not insisting on anyone to argue today.

A similar incident happened before the bench of Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar where Hariharan made a similar appeal to the lawyers appearing in the Court.

As a few lawyers were appearing, Hariharan said: “Please adhere to it (appeal to abstain from work). It is just a day… I am making a request. I know you have the enthusiasm of coming to court but please kindly cooperate with the Bar…..You are the members who others look up to.”

As the lawyer said that he was just taking a date for today, Hariharan said: “I am so grateful to each and every one of you. I need your support. I cannot carry this forth without your support.”

“We are fully supportive sir. We agree with that contention,” the lawyer responded.

Addressing the bench, Hariharan said, “My apologies your lordships to having spoken in between. It was a request to my members.”

On this, Justice Shankar remarked: “You are doing your job. We are doing our job. That's all I can say. My job is to dispose of as many matters as possible. You have various facets to your job.”

In a resolution passed yesterday, the Association said the decision to abstain from work today was taken in light of the view of the Full Court of the Delhi High Court regarding the proposed enhancement, despite what it described as the DHCBA's “strong opposition” to the move.

According to the resolution, the Executive Committee expressed concern that the proposal would have “far-reaching ramifications” on the justice delivery system and would adversely affect the practice, livelihood and professional interests of a large number of advocates practising before the Delhi High Court.

The Bar Association further stated that the enhancement would significantly reduce the High Court's Original Side jurisdiction, claiming that nearly 70% of the cases on the Original Side would stand transferred as a consequence of the proposed increase in pecuniary limits.