‘How do we earn a living?': On strike, Karkardooma Court lawyers oppose shifting of digital courts

Indian Express

11 hours ago

Protesting the decision to shift the judges of 34 digital NI Act (Negotiable Instruments Act) courtrooms that hear cheque bounce cases from six court complexes in Delhi to the Rouse Avenue court complex, lawyers at the Karkardooma Court complex decided to abstain from work for a fifth day straight on Friday. The lawyers have been on a hunger strike for the last two days.
'First, our labour courts were shifted, now our cheque bounce courts have been shifted…we are not fancy lawyers. How do we earn a living?' advocate V K Singh, president of the Shahdara Bar Association (SBA), told The Indian Express.
'All the lawyers in our courts are people residing in the Trans Yamuna (areas). Some of us barely get Rs 20-30,000 for an entire case. Many of us are dependent on cheque bounce cases. Is this justice at your doorstep? Things were running smoothly… but now we are all anxious,' Singh said.
Of the 34 courtrooms, nine are from Dwarka, seven from Tis Hazari, six from Saket, five from Karkardooma Court, four from Rohini, and three from Patiala House Court. While the judges of the respective courtrooms will be shifted to Rouse Avenue Court, the court staff (readers, ahlmads and stenographers) will continue to operate from their respective districts. The rooms for the 34 judges have been allocated on the seventh floor of the Rouse Avenue court complex, which is situated near the ITO Metro station in Central Delhi.
Earlier, the coordination committee of all district court bar associations had decided to abstain from work. On June 7, however, they called off their strike after the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court assured them in a meeting that all digital courts would function strictly as digital platforms only and that all the remaining proceedings and judicial work would be conducted exclusively in the regular local courts.
In a May 30 notification, the Delhi High Court, which is behind the move, cited 'optimal utilisation of available infrastructure and resources' and 'inadequate space' to justify the shift of digital cheque bounce courts. 'The remaining arrangement, including support staff deployment and recording of evidence from the respective District Court Complexes, shall continue as per the previous directions/practice until adequate and permanent space is made available in the District Courts concerned to which these Digital NI Act Courts ultimately belong,' the notification dated May 30 read.
'However, these Courts shall continue to be under the administrative control /supervision/ jurisdiction of the districts concerned to which these courts belong. The readers, ahlmads, and judicial records of these Digital NI Act Courts would also continue to function from their original districts so as to avoid any inconvenience to the litigants, lawyers, and stakeholders,' the notification added.
This notification was not enough to quell the anxiety of the lawyers in Northeast Delhi's Karkardooma Courts.
'Shifting of digital courts for lack of infrastructure violates the territorial jurisdiction jurisprudence,' said advocate Paras Jain, who practises in Karkardooma Court. 'If any litigant or advocate wants to report anything of emergent nature physically to the judge, they will not be able to communicate this…there is still confusion as to how evidence will be recorded before the judge sitting at Rouse Avenue Court,' he added. 'Lack of virtual facilities also creates gaps between the judges and litigants.'
In a notice dated July 4, the lawyers of SBA decided to abstain from work on Saturday. 'It has been unanimously resolved by the Executive Committee of Shahdara Association (Regd.)., to abstain from work on 04.07.2025 in Karkardooma Courts, Delhi,' the notice read.
'It is further resolved that the Executive Committee of Shahdara Bar Association (Regd)., and its members shall continue the Hunger Strike from 05.07.2025 near Facilitation Center as a mark of protest against shifting of Digital Court, N.I. Act,' it added.
'Hence, all lawyers are requested to Co-operate & not to appear before any court either physically or virtually. In case any lawyer is found appearing physically or virtually in any court strict action shall be initiated against him/her,' the notice stated with a request urging judges to cooperate and not pass any adverse orders.
Of the 15 lakh pending cases—2 lakh civil and 13 lakh criminal—across the capital's lower courts, 4.5 lakh, or over 30 per cent, are cheque bounce claims.