New Delhi (Agency): Lawyers across Uttar Pradesh have initiated a three-day statewide strike, demanding action against the police following a demonstration in Hapur. The strike was organized by the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh in response to the lathi-charge on lawyers during a protest against the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against a woman lawyer from the district.
Lawyers from district courts throughout the state are participating in the strike from Monday to Wednesday. The strike has also gained support from lawyers in the Allahabad High Court and its Lucknow bench, leading to disruptions in legal proceedings.
Shiv Kishore Gaur, the chairman of the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh, stated, “At the virtual meeting, it was unanimously decided to give a call for a three-day strike.”
Anand Mani Tripathi, President of the Oudh Bar Association of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, explained, “Lawyers of the high court will remain on strike on Monday. We have convened a meeting on Monday evening in which the decision will be taken depending on the state government’s response to the lawyers’ demand.”
During the strike, lawyers in district courts across the state will participate in sit-ins on their respective court campuses. The protest is set to intensify on Tuesday with lawyers burning effigies of the state Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police on court campuses.
The Bar Council has resolved to determine the further course of action on Wednesday based on the response of the state government to their demands. Kuldeep Narain Mishra, President of the Lucknow Bar Association of the district court, announced, “Lawyers of the Lucknow district court will be on a three-day strike from Monday in support of the statewide strike call given by the Bar Council of Uttar Pradesh.”
The strike was prompted by an incident in Hapur where lawyers were lathi-charged during a demonstration. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered an investigation into the incident on August 30. In another incident, advocate Manoj Chaudary was allegedly shot dead by two masked men inside his chamber at Ghaziabad tehsil on August 30.