New Delhi: The result of Delhi HC Bar Association's call to abstain from work to protest Justice Gaurang Kanth's transfer to Calcutta High Court was visible on Monday as most of the courtrooms were nearly empty and the court had to adjourn most of the cases.
The transfer was recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium on July 12 and was notified by the Central government on July 15.
'Justice Kanth's transfer to affect dispensation of justice at Delhi HC,' says DHCBA
The DHCBA said that the transfer will affect the dispensation of justice in the Delhi High Court and, therefore, requested its members to abstain from work. The result of DHCBA's call was visible on Monday, as most of the courtrooms, which are otherwise packed on a Monday, were nearly empty.
Proxy counsel appeared before the benches and sought adjournments in most cases. The repeated requests for adjournment without any reason prompted the Division Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula to question the proxy counsel on why adjournments were being sought.
"We can’t adjourn cases like this...You can’t appear in every case like this. If someone is not well, fine we will adjourn it. But none of you are giving a ground for adjournment," the Bench remarked.
Bench heard a few cases
The Bench, however, did hear certain cases in which lawyers appeared and passed orders in those matters. Meanwhile, Justice Siddharth Mridul (who used to share a bench with Justice Gaurang Kanth) sat with Justice Anish Dayal on Monday.
Justice Mridul said that since the counsel were not appearing, adjournments will be given in matters. The judge then rose and asked his staff to inform him if the counsel appearing in any case wanted to argue.
"We would like to hear the matters where parties are there...Call us if the counsel are there," the judge remarked. A similar situation was witnessed before most of the other benches as well.
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