Awadh Bar Association Calls Off Its Ongoing Strike, To Resume Work From March 8

With this, the strike of the Association that has been continuing since 24^th February, has now officially come to an end. The Association has been voicing its 4-point demands, and which are: -

• Extension of jurisdiction of High Court (Lucknow Bench)
• To Establish GST Tribunal's State Bench in Lucknow
• To protest against Education Tribunal
• To Establish Company Law Appellate Tribunal in Lucknow

While calling off the strike, the Association has also informed that it would be forming a 'Jurisdictional Struggle Committee' (Kshetradhikar Sangharsh Samiti) consisting of members from Advocates', Teachers' and Traders' Unions so that their movement gets stronger.

In today's meeting, the Committee also supported the call for the establishment of HC's Bench for the Western district of Uttar Pradesh and till the time such a bench is provided with basic amenities/proper infrastructure, the western districts of UP must be included/brought under Lucknow Bench's Jurisdiction.

Further, its has been decided that the Committee so formed shall hold a candle March on 12^th March in Lucknow.

It may be noted that the Awadh Bar Association had moved the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court, seeking the establishment of the GST Appellate Tribunal at Lucknow, and not Allahabad.

Further, on 04^th March, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court restrained the Central Government from establishing the GST Appellate Tribunal in the State of UP without Court's permission.

In view of the ongoing conflict with respect to the location of the Tribunal, a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi said,

"Having considered the arguments advanced and also the instructions communicated to us on behalf of respondent nos. 1 (Union of India) and 2 (GST Council), we deem it appropriate to direct respondent nos. 1 and 2 for not establishing Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal for the State of Uttar Pradesh without leave of this Court."

Significantly, a tussle is presently going on between the Allahabad High Court Bar Association and the Awadh Bar Association over the passing of the Uttar Pradesh Educational Services Tribunal Bill, 2021 which proposes to constitute two benches of the Tribunal in Lucknow and Allahabad (now known as Prayagraj).

Notably, both the associations have cited different reasons for opposing the Bill. While HCBA, Allahabad is opposing the Bill as the Bill proposes to establish Tribunal's Principal Bench in Lucknow, on the other hand, the Awadh Bar Association is miffed over the bifurcation of the Tribunal at two places.