SUDHIR KUMAR OJHA Vs. STATE OF BIHAR

JUDGEMENT

(1.) LAWYERS from all over the State are protesting hike in court fees by the Court Fee (Bihar Amendment) Act 2007. They are abstaining from their professional work before all the Courts, Tribunals and Authorities including this Court. This has virtually paralysed their functioning.

(2.) MR . Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Senior Advocate appears on behalf of the petitioner as also the Coordination Committee of the Lawyers of the High Court. Mr. Rajendra Prasad Singh, Senior Advocate, represents the various Bar Associations of the Civil Courts of the State. We expressed our concern to the members of the Bar about the existing situation. We are glad to record that they responded positively.

(3.) LEARNED Advocate General states that enhancement of court fees is under review by a Group of Ministers constituted for the purpose in which due representation shall be given to the Associations of Lawyers of the Civil Courts as well as that of the High Court. On our suggestion, he has agreed that the number of invitee Lawyers shall be 15 and, in fact, he has requested that the names be suggested by the Coordination Committee of the Lawyers of the High Court, who, we have been told, have been authorized by various Bar Associations of the State for the purpose.