Bar Association meeting on holiday inconclusive

The Calcutta High Court Bar Association today met to discuss an impasse arising out of its decision not to attend the court on March 6 on account of a state-declared holiday despite the court remaining open, but the meeting remained inconclusive.
"A general body meeting was convened today to discuss the issue but was adjourned owing to lack of time," Bar Association general secretary Rana Mukherjee told PTI here.
"The meeting was called to find a way out of any such situation arising in future," Mukherjee said.
Work in the Calcutta High Court was paralysed on Friday last as a large section of lawyers did not turn up for proceedings despite it being a normal working day with the Bar Association sticking to its stand of not attending court owing to a state holiday for Holi.

A division bench, comprising Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice Joymalyo Bagchi, had expressed its displeasure at the lawyers' absence and told West Bengal Advocate General Jayanta Mitra that it was the duty of the Bar (lawyers) to let the Bench (judiciary) work.
A tussle had broken out between the chief justice and the Bar Association over holding of court proceedings on March 6, a day declared as holiday by West Bengal government on the occasion of Holi.

The Bar Association had met the chief justice on March three and requested for a holiday on the day reasoning that the state government had declared a holiday and several staff would not be available as they were state government employees.

The chief justice had told them a holiday could only be announced if the Bar Association agreed to work on March 18, a Saturday or on any one of the days during either the summer holidays or Puja holidays, according to Rana Mukherjee.
But the Association did not accept this proposal and decided not to attend court.
More than 2.5 lakh cases are pending before the Calcutta HC, many of which are pending for several years.