Delhi’s district courts are set for a one-day disruption on Monday, 21 September, after the coordination committee of all district court bar associations decided that lawyers would boycott both physical and virtual proceedings. The lawyers will also hold peaceful demonstrations outside all court complexes from 11:30 am, according to Live Hindustan – NCR.
The boycott is expected to affect routine hearings and other court-related work across Delhi’s district courts. Lawyers will not appear before courts in person or participate in hearings conducted virtually during the strike, the report said.
The protest has been called against recent changes to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules and the decision to give Sub-Divisional Magistrates and other departmental officials powers to dispose of traffic challans. The bar associations’ coordination committee has opposed the transfer of this responsibility from the existing court-based process to executive authorities.
Traffic challan cases form a significant part of the everyday workload handled by courts and administrative authorities. Any change in the forum or authority responsible for their disposal can affect how motorists contest penalties, how notices are processed and how pending matters move through the system. The lawyers’ proposed action places that institutional change at the centre of the court shutdown.
The planned demonstrations will take place at all district court premises at 11:30 am. The committee has described the demonstrations as peaceful. No details were provided in the report about the likely number of participating lawyers, the expected duration of the demonstrations or arrangements for matters that may be listed on the day.
For litigants and other court users, the immediate impact will be uncertainty over hearings scheduled for Monday. People involved in civil, criminal, family, property and traffic-related matters may need to check with their lawyers or the concerned court about whether their cases will be taken up, adjourned or otherwise rescheduled. The report does not specify how individual courts will manage listed matters during the boycott.
The dispute highlights the operational consequences of changes to urban legal and regulatory systems. Delhi’s traffic enforcement involves police and administrative authorities, while the courts remain an important avenue for challenging penalties and resolving disputes. The lawyers’ objection indicates that the allocation of powers between judicial and executive bodies has become a live issue for the city’s legal system.
The strike decision comes as the Centre has also notified the appointment of seven judicial officers as judges or additional judges of the Delhi High Court following recommendations of the Supreme Court Collegium. The appointments are separate from the district court boycott. The report said Nivedita Anil Sharma and Nisha Sahay Saxena were appointed as judges, while Sanjay Sharma, Bharat Parashar, Aditi Chaudhary, Dinesh Bhatt and Arun Bhardwaj were appointed as additional judges.
The lawyers’ demonstrations and boycott are scheduled for Monday, 21 September, with protests beginning at 11:30 am outside Delhi’s district court complexes.
