Lawyers' strike cripples judicial work in northeast

Guwahati/Agartala, July 11 (IANS) Judicial activities in the lower and high courts in all the eight northeastern states were severely affected Wednesday as lawyers abstained from work to protest proposed central government legislations.

The two-day all-India "cessation of work" Wednesday and Thursday has been called by the Bar Council of India (BCI) to protest four proposed legislations that include the National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill, 2010.

Claiming that the "cessation of work" all across the northeastern states was total and successful, Gauhati High Court Bar Association president Pijush Biswas told reporters in Agartala: "The legislations will harm the autonomy of the BCI and its members."

"Foreign law colleges, foreign solicitor firms and lawyers from other countries would be allowed to work in India if these legislations are passed in the parliament," he said.

Reports from various northeastern states said the strike Wednesday crippled functioning of lower and district courts besides the Sikkim and Gauhati High Court principal and state level benches in various northeastern states.

Gauhati High Court Bar Association secretary Arindam Lodh said these bills were against the federal structure of the country and all educational institutions were sought to be regulated by a few nominees of the union human resources development ministry.

The other bills proposed by the union government and objected to by the lawyers are the Higher Education and Research Bill, 2011, the Foreign Educational Institutions (Regulations of Entry and Operations) Bill, 2010, and the National Law School Bill, 2011.