Kolkata Lawyers to Meet CJI Dipak Misra Over Delay in Judicial Appointments to High Court

Kolkata: Lawyers who have been protesting over judicial vacancies in the Calcutta High Court have decided to knock on the doors of Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra, in an attempt to resolve the impasse that has thrown work out of gear for over a month.

The protesters would meet the CJI on March 23 to present their demand that the SC fill up vacancies of judges and appoint a permanent Chief Justice at the Calcutta High Court. The protesters have struck work since February 19, leaving litigants in the lurch.

Despite the recent appointment of three judges at the high court, more than 50 per cent of judges’ positions still remain vacant. Currently, the court has a strength of 33 out of the sanctioned positions of 72 judges.

“Immediate steps should be taken to appoint new judges. This is hampering the day to day legal process. Lawyers and litigants are suffering,” said Deep Narayan Mitra, vice chairman, Incorporate Law Society, the forum comprising three libraries of the Calcutta High Court.

Lawyers and litigants alike held a fresh round of demonstration before the High Court on Thursday, albeit for contrasting reasons.

Besides the dearth of judges, the High Court has remained bereft of a permanent Chief Justice for the past 18 months and Acting Chief Justices have been appointed from time to time to run the show. The court bar association also alleged that there is hardly proper representation of Calcutta High Court lawyers at the Supreme Court.

But litigants feel they are the ones who are having to bear the maximum brunt of this on-going lawyers’ strike. “The highest court of law in the state is on its knees and we, the common people, are severely affected. Which door do we now knock for justice? This situation cannot go on indefinitely. I am into business, so I have cases to fight,” complained Ajay Banerjee, a Kolkata-based businessman.

The forum of lawyers at the Calcutta High Court is also scheduled to meet union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on March 24 in Delhi following their meeting with the CJI.