Filing a petition, the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) through its Secretary said "issue directions to hold the Court Fee (Delhi Amendment) Act, 2012, as void, ultra vires and unconstitutional as it is in the nature of collecting revenue and beyond the competence of the state legislature."
In the plea, DHCBA said the state government's act is against the basic value and ideals of administration of justice in a welfare state.
"The respondent (GNCT), whose primary duty is to administer justice, should do so out of public revenues and not put justice up for sale. The levy of court fee by the amendment aggravates the expenses of ligation which negates the availability and efficacy of expeditious and inexpensive legal remedies available to the citizen," the petition said.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, before whom the petition came up for hearing, decided to hear the matter on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the lawyers from all the six district courts of Patiala House, Tis Hazari, Karkardooma, Rohini, Saket and Dwarka, who abstained from work yesterday, today started indefinite hunger strike against the city government's hiking the court fees by ten times.
The lawyers said the government should roll back the hike in the court fee as it would increase the burden on common litigants.