Rajasthan High Court Lawyers To Abstain From Work Till Sept 6, Demand Acting CJ Be Relieved Of Judicial, Administrative Duties
The Rajasthan High Court Lawyers' Association, Jodhpur and Rajasthan High Court Advocates' Association, Jodhpur have announced that lawyers will abstain from work till September 6, 2026, while demanding that Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma be relieved of his judicial and administrative responsibilities.
The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of lawyers on August 31 amid concerns raised in letters written by Supreme Court Judge Justice Sandeep Mehta to Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant regarding the functioning of the Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice.
The Associations clarified that the move is not directed against any particular individual, but is aimed at protecting the dignity, impartiality and independence of the judicial institution and maintaining public confidence in the justice delivery system.
As per the press note released by the Associations, the bar raises following 3 demands:
1) Acting Chief Justice to be kept away from the judicial and administrative responsibilities so that an impartial process shall continue and institutional confidence shall be maintained.
2) Appointment of a permanent and full time Chief Justice for the Rajasthan High Court, ensuring judicial and administrative functioning, stability, and effective leadership.
3) Immediate discontinuation of the “Targeted File System” for disposing cases merely based on the length of time for which they were pending. It was submitted that the system was putting excessive pressure on the professional lives of the advocates, adversely affecting their work-life balance.
The note mentioned that the letter written to the Chief Justice of India raised serious issues including the allegations of misuse of administrative powers, interference in the process of listing of cases, favouritism, and administrative mismanagement.
It is stated that judiciary is not merely an institution but a symbol of Constitution, rule of law and ultimate trust of common people. If serious questions, like aforementioned, were not resolved in a timely and impartial manner, it shall directly impact public confidence in the justice delivery system.
Apart from declaring the strike, a Struggle Committee has also been formed in this regard to decide the future strategy, that includes 4 members- the President, Rajasthan High Court Lawyers' Association, Jodhpur; the President, Rajasthan High Court Advocates' Association, Jodhpur; the General Secretary, Rajasthan High Court Lawyers' Association, Jodhpur; and the General Secretary, Rajasthan High Court Advocates' Association, Jodhpur.