The Hindu : New Delhi News : Lawyers strike work in Bihar

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Tuesday, Apr 01, 2008
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Lawyers strike work in Bihar

Special Correspondent

Protest against increase in court fees across the State

Photo: Ranjeet Kumar

Inside Patna: Lawyers demonstrating in protest against hike in court fees in Patna on Monday.

PATNA: Lawyers across the State struck work on Monday protesting against rise in court fees.

In Patna lawyers staged a protest march from the Patna High Court to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s residence. Authorities however stopped the demonstrators at the periphery of the security zone.

It is the second time in less than a month that the issue has seen lawyers staying away from court proceedings. Judicial activist M.P.Gupta charged that the fees had been raised to prohibitive proportions to deny the common man from seeking justice against arbitrary actions of both the civil and police officials. The government was seeking to protect them and enforce its dictate, he alleged

Mr. Gupta alleged that the State government’s motive was to suffocate the courts from hearing PILs and initiate action. “No poor man can file a PIL for the fees had been raised from Rs. 250 to Rs. 1000.”

In several districts lawyers have been on strike for well over 13 days. It has affected not only their work but also those surviving on daily wages, vending and running tertiary jobs such as typists.

But the government has not budged so far. In response to a PIL filed by a lawyer from Muzaffarpur, the Patna High Court has issued notices to the State government. Meanwhile, in the Bihar Assembly senior lawyer and RJD member Shakeel Ahmed Khan raised the issue demanding that the government repeal what he described as the anti-poor decision as it was even higher by 50 times of the rates in Maharashtra. But Govt.’s refusal to do so saw the RJD members staging a walkout.

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