The Allahabad HC said that there is a need to develop a mechanism so that PIL’s can still be heard even when the lawyers are on strike so that the litigants don’t suffer.
This assertion came from the bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal while taking into account the 'serious' issue of lawyers' strike and due to which, the Court observed, litigants and society as a whole, suffer.
The court observed that a case was filed on May 19, 2021 and after July 12, 2021, out of 8 dates fixed by prescribed authority, lawyers were on strike on 6 occasions.
The court remarked, “ It is no doubt true that authorities are under bounden duty to conclude the election dispute at the earliest and procedure has been prescribed in the rules for conduct of election petition, but this Court finds that functioning of courts below is hampered by constant strike of lawyers and smooth functioning of courts below is hampered by constant strike of lawyers and smooth functioning is not possible...direction issued will be of no use, once the lawyers are abstaining from work and not permitting the officers to work and litigants to enter the campus, the effort made by Court through directions go unattended”
