The Bar Association has called off its 28-day strike after receiving a written assurance from the state government. Lawyers had been demanding that the government itself construct their chamber building. However, the written assurance only states that a proposal for financial support will be placed before the cabinet.
After the assurance was shared on Monday, the Bar Association and the Sangharsh Samiti agreed to end the strike. Soon after, disagreement started surfacing among lawyers. In the evening, Auditor Lalit Bhandari and Seven-Plus member Anuradha Chaturvedi resigned, refusing to accept the government’s assurance.
At the protest site, Minister of State Vinay Rohilla, Home Secretary Shailesh Bagauli, District Judge Prem Chand Khimal, CJM Rinki Sahni, DM Savin Bansal, SSP Ajay Singh and others met the lawyers. They requested that the strike be withdrawn, after which Bar Association president Manmohan Kandwal announced its suspension and thanked the officials. A formal message was also circulated stating that the government had accepted all demands.
Many lawyers, including former president Rajiv Sharma Bantu, objected to this decision. They called the assurance misleading and said the government had not clearly agreed to construct the chamber building or issue land allocation. They argued the main demands remain unresolved and the strike was ended without proper consultation.
Protests gained strength after the two resignations. The Association’s secretary and vice-president had already resigned earlier for Bar Council elections, placing the executive body under further strain.
The Association and Sangharsh Samiti also issued a strict warning that if any lawyer continues the protest from Tuesday onwards, they will be personally responsible. The organisation will not support such demonstrations.
Chaturvedi said the assurance does not meet the lawyers’ demands, and they will continue the protest at the site. Bhandari said the executive did not consult them before ending the strike, calling the government’s promise hollow.
Meanwhile, in the CBI special court, hearings in five corruption cases were postponed because defence lawyers did not appear due to the ongoing dispute.
Some lawyer groups are discussing extending the protest into the night and organising daily food distribution at the site. A decision is expected on Tuesday.
Also Read This – UPCL claims transformer failures have dropped sharply in three years
Key Government Assurances to the Bar Association
-
A master plan will be prepared for the area around the Collectorate, with a committee headed by the DM.
-
Assessment of construction possible on current land; additional land to be provided as needed.
-
Proposal to give financial support for chamber construction to be placed before the cabinet.
-
Lawyers will remain at their current locations until new chambers are built.
-
The requested underpass or overbridge will be constructed.
-
All related proposals will be sent to the cabinet soon.
