New Delhi, Aug 23 (UNI) In a dramatic escalation of the standoff between the legal fraternity and the Delhi District Courts, across the national capital, lawyers have vowed to continue their strike on Monday, August 25, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the controversial notification issued by the Lieutenant Governor (LG).
The LG’s notification, dated August 13, 2025, empowers police officials to depose before courts virtually from police stations, a move that has sparked outrage among lawyers, who view it as a direct assault on the rule of law, judicial independence, and the rights of litigants.
Chairman of the Co-ordination Committee of All District Bar Associations of Delhi, Jagdeep Vats, minced no words in calling the notification “draconian, arbitrary and unacceptable.”
He declared, “Lawyers will not allow the police to convert their stations into mini-courts. This undermines the sanctity of the judiciary and places undue power in the hands of the police the very institution against whom countless citizens seek justice. We will fight this tooth and nail.”
The Committee has announced a gherao of the LG House and warned that prosecutors of the CBI, ED, NIA, and police officials, including naib courts, will not be allowed to appear until the notification is rolled back. “Our protest will intensify, and the administration must take full responsibility for this confrontation,” Vats warned.
From Tis Hazari to Dwarka, Rohini to Karkardooma, lawyers are standing shoulder to shoulder. Dwarka Court Bar Association Additional Secretary Hemant Verma issued a firm directive: “Respected members are hereby informed that abstinence from work will continue on Monday, August 25, 2025. This is a battle to protect democracy, not just the profession of law.”
Rohini Court Bar Association Joint Secretary Parveen Dabas called it a fight for the people, “This is not the fight of lawyers alone, this is a fight for the common man.
Already, citizens face harassment at the hands of police. Now if police are given unchecked powers to depose from their own turf, courts will lose their essence as places of refuge and justice,” Dabas said.
The Delhi High Court Bar Association has demanded the “urgent withdrawal” of the LG’s order, describing it as a measure that tilts the balance of justice dangerously in favour of the State. The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has also entered the fray, with President Vikas Singh calling the notification “unlawful, unconstitutional and against natural justice.”
In its resolution, the SCBA cautioned: “This measure gravely threatens judicial independence and the fair administration of justice. It must be withdrawn immediately in the larger public interest.”
For the lawyers, this strike is not just about a notification but about defending the very foundations of justice. “Strikes by advocates are not disruptions,” one Bar member said, “they are an act of resistance, a last resort when constitutional values are being bulldozed. We cannot and will not remain silent spectators.”
With the strike continuing into next week and lawyers preparing to march to the LG’s residence, the message from the legal fraternity is unambiguous: “Withdraw the notification or face an unrelenting protest from every corner of the Bar.”
Joint Press Statement of the Co-ordination Committee of All Bar Associations of Delhi, ष्We, the lawyers of Delhi, stand united in our strongest opposition to the draconian notification issued by the Lieutenant Governor on August 13, 2025, which seeks to convert police stations into substitute courtrooms.
This arbitrary and unlawful order strikes at the heart of judicial independence, compromises the sanctity of the justice delivery system, and tilts the scales of justice in favour of the very institution — the police — against whom ordinary citizens seek protection. Let it be clear: this is not a strike for lawyers’ interests. This is a fight to defend the rights of litigants, the Constitution, and the rule of law. Courts are temples of justice, not extensions of police stations. By forcing witnesses and evidence to be routed through police-controlled spaces, the LG has attempted to bulldoze democratic safeguards and strip citizens of their last line of defence against misuse of power. Until this notification is withdrawn in toto, our abstention from work will continue. From the Supreme Court Bar Association to the Delhi High Court Bar Association and every District Bar across the capital, we will intensify our agitation, including gherao of the LG House and resistance to the appearance of prosecutors and police officials in courts. We will not relent, we will not compromise, and we will not allow the erosion of our justice system, Vats said, adding, Our message is simple and non-negotiable, Withdraw this unconstitutional notification immediately.
