State bar council imposes self-lockdown; Lalu’s release deferred

The Jharkhand state bar council (JSBC), lawyers’ apex body, has decided to impose self-lockdown for a week from Sunday in wake of rapid hike in Covid-19 cases and “poor health service” in the state.

In a notice issued in this regard, the council said, “Advocates across the state should completely restrain themselves and their support staff from court works, including both physical and online hearing of cases.”

Taking note of the fact that many lawyers and their support staff fell ill due to coronavirus infection, the council asked the legal fraternity to refrain from attending all courts.

The notice, issued to all district bar associations and other advocates’ associations, stated that a review meeting will be held on April 25 to decide on the further course of action. It stressed that non-compliance with its decision by any member will tantamount to misconduct.

The advocates’ self-lockdown, however, was likely to pose difficulty in release of prisoners, including incarcerated RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who recently secured bail last week but still was not released. “We are yet to get a certified order of the high court, that granted bail to Lalu Prasad last Saturday. In the wake of the council’s decision, Prasad will now be released next week,” said Prasad’s lawyer Prabhat Kumar.

The Jharkhand high court on April 17 granted bail to Prasad in the Dumka treasury case of the multi-crore fodder scam, paving way for his release from jail after three years of incarceration.

The high court asked the 73-year-old leader to submit two sureties of ₹1 lakh each and a penalty of ₹10 lakh before the court below to secure his bail.

Prasad was currently undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi while in custody.

Meanwhile, JSBC’s vice-chairperson Rajesh Shukla supported the council’s decision saying, “It is the lawyers who are going to incur economic losses due to complete lockdown in courts. But, we have to take this decision due to the prevailing condition. The health services are grossly unsatisfactory. Many advocates and their staff have already fallen ill. In last few days, many advocates have died due to the infection. Our priority is to save precious lives and break the chain of infection in the larger interest of public. There is no intension to harass anyone.”