Boycotting courts our right

Vijayawada: “Boycotting or calling for abstention from work in the judicial courts is our right and nobody could alienate it,” said the presidents and office-bearers of various Bar Associations from all over the district who met here on Monday following the instructions of the Bar Council of India.

They were reacting over the attempts to throttle the democratic rights of advocates going on strike even against genuine injustice and wrongdoings.
Bezwada Bar Association president Kondapalli Satyanarayana presided over the meeting and general secretary Dodla Lakshmana Rao and presidents of various Bar Associations attended the meeting.

Chalasani Ajay Kumar, member of the Bar Council of Andhra Pradesh and former president of Bezwada Bar Association, said the Bezwada Bar Association has been in forefront in organising protests and demonstrations even during the British Raj. “It is our right to protest against injustice,” he said.

Referring to the Supreme Court judgment in a case on March 28, which restrained the Bar Associations and Bar Councils from giving call for strike/boycott/abstention of the court in any event, he recalled that during the British Raj, the Bezwada Bar Association boycotted courts in protest against the injustice.

Instead of filling the vacancies in the Supreme Court and respective High Courts throughout the country, it is not proper to curb restrictions on the democratic right of the advocates, he said. “The apex court should concentrate on providing minimal facilities to the judicial courts and the bar associations,” he said pointing out that there are no enough toilets and dining halls in the judicial courts.

Ch Manmadha Rao, former president of Bar Association, suggested that the boycotts should be uniform throughout the state. He said that it is our right to protest and that right should not be done away with. He also referred to demands of Bar Council of India to provide insurance facility to advocates and their family members, stipend to budding lawyers and pension to retired advocates.

Malleswara Rao, member of the Bar Council of AP, Akula Venkataramaiah, president of Machilipatnam Bar Association, Wilson, president of the Nuzvid Bar Association, Kondala Rao, Jaggaiahpet Bar Association, Appaji, president of Gudivada Bar Association and several other members of Bezwada Bar Association also spoke.