Punjab and Haryana HC Bar Association gives undertaking to SC to abide by its verdict on lawyers’ strike

The Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association has given an undertaking to the Supreme Court to abide by the top court’s verdict on lawyers’ strike.

The top court had in August taken suo motu cognisance of the July 26, 2024, strike in the Punjab and Haryana High Court when lawyers abstained from work, causing disruption to court proceedings. It had issued notices to the High Court Bar Association, questioning their conduct.

However, a Bench of Justice AS Oka and Justice AG Masih on Friday chose to close the matter after an undertaking given by the High Court Bar Association.

“A fresh undertaking on behalf of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association has been filed by Shri Jasdev Singh Brar, Acting President which records that in a fresh Executive Committee meeting called on 19^th December, 2204, all the members of the Executive Committee agreed to the undertaking already filed by the Acting President,” the Bench said.

“No further directions are required to be issued and we treat the case as closed with a clear direction that the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association shall continue to be bound by the undertakings. Copies of this order as well as earlier order dated 13^th December, 2024 be forwarded to the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court,” it said, closing the proceedings.

On December 13, 2024, Brar had filed an undertaking based on the majority decision in the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association held on 9^th December, 2024. But the Bench refused to accept it.

“Obviously, it appears that some of the members of the Executive Committee opposed the resolution for tendering an unconditional undertaking to abide by the decision of this Court in the case of Ex Captain Harish Uppal v. Union of India (2003). We make it clear that unless the members of the Executive Committee who opposed the resolution give a similar undertaking before the Court, we will not close the issue of contempt,” it had said.

Directing Brar to place on record the names and addresses of the Executive Committee members who opposed the resolution on the next date and to place on record a copy of the resolution dated  December 9, 2024, the Bench had listed the matter for further hearing on December 20.

“Prima facie, it appears to us that the act of opposing the resolution proposed itself indicates that the concerned members have no respect and regard for the law laid down by this Court,” the top court had noted.

However, after the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association gave a fresh undertaking dated December 19, the top court closed the matter.