By IANS
Patna : Bihar’s judicial network, including courts and tribunals, came to a grinding halt Wednesday as an estimated 80,000 lawyers struck work to protest the murder of a colleague last December.
The Bihar Bar Council asked lawyers in the Patna High Court, district courts, sub divisional courts, central administrative tribunal and other judicial forums to abstain from work to protest the murder of Deendayal Yadav, additional public prosecutor (APP) in the Jehanabad district civil court.
He was shot dead by unidentified gunmen while he was on his way home near Makhdumpur, about 60 km from here.
Wednesday marks the third strike in two-and-a-half months by lawyers protesting an attack on a colleague.
Rajendra Prasad Singh, chairperson of the state bar council, had written to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Dec 31 seeking compensation of Rs.1 million for Yadav’s family and a job for one of his dependents.
“We were forced to take the decision to abstain from work due to the failure of the government to act on our demands,” Singh said, adding that the strike decision was taken at an emergency meeting Tuesday.
The victim’s brother Jhoolan has alleged Satyendra Yadav, a Jehanabad politician with a criminal history, was involved in the incident.
On Nov 8 last year, Ramnaresh Sharma, an APP in the Begusarai district civil court known for his vocal stand against criminals, was shot dead by two men in his home.
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP Surajbhan Singh had been named a suspect in that case but has denied any involvement.
The Bihar Bar Council has decided none of its members would plead for Singh.
Steel Minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan had Sunday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the murder while giving a clean chit to the MP. He said the party would go to any extent to ensure that Singh was exonerated of all charges.