Haryana advocates’ body ‘adopts’ five-day week; litigants at the receiving end

Sunit Dhawan

Rohtak, July 8

The lawyers of district/trial courts across the state have decided to adopt a five-day week by keeping the work suspended on the first and third Saturdays of every month. The demand for a five-day week at the district courts had been made to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had approved offs on the second and fourth Saturdays. However, the district bar associations have been suspending work on the first and third Saturdays of every month at their own level. A meeting of the presidents and other representatives of the district bar associations of Haryana was held at Rohtak on Sunday. The representatives of the district bar associations constituted the All-Haryana Bar Association and elected Rohtak District Bar Association president Arvind Sheoran as its president.

Won’t affect people

The decision will not affect the litigants. The Judicial Officers will continue to function as usual on the first and third Saturday and the urgent cases will also be taken up on these days. — Arvind Sheoran, President, All-Haryana bar association

“The state association decided to adopt a five-day week at the district/trial courts across Haryana as it was a long-standing demand of the lawyers,” said Sheoran. Asked about the inconvenience caused to litigants due to the reduction in working days in view of the ever-increasing pendency of cases, he said the decision would not affect the litigants. “The Judicial Officers will continue to function as usual on the first and third Saturdays and the urgent cases would also be taken up on these days,” maintained Sheoran. On the other hand, eyebrows are being raised at the formation of the state Bar association. The legality of the decision to adopt a five-day week taken by it is also being doubted.

“There is no provision for the constitution of a state-level Bar association. The demand for a five-day week had been made before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which is authorised to take a final decision in this regard,” said senior advocate Pradeep Malik. He observed that the suspension of work on the first and third Saturdays would put the litigants to much inconvenience as the courts would be functioning, but the lawyers would be off work. Lawyers also admit that apart from the harassment of the litigants, the pendency of cases also increases due to frequent suspension of court work.

“Suspension of court work may be justified only if there is a genuine reason behind it. Suspending work only adds to the ordeal of the litigants,” said Rakesh Kumar Sapra, a prominent lawyer.