The Coordination Committee of All District Courts Bar Associations of Delhi has announced indefinite abstention from work in all district courts of the capital starting September 8, 2025. The decision follows strong opposition to the Delhi Police circular dated September 4, 2025, which proposed the examination of police witnesses through audio-video facilities from police stations under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.
Lawyers expressed dissatisfaction that the police circular was inconsistent with assurances earlier given by the Union Home Minister, who had assured a delegation of bar representatives that no such examination of police officials would take place from police stations. The Coordination Committee argued that the move undermines the principle of free and fair trial, curtails the rights of the accused, and bypasses judicial scrutiny over witness appearance.
In its resolution, the Committee condemned the circular as arbitrary and illegal, contending that it introduces a distinction between formal and material witnesses without due consultation. The lawyers’ body has also announced that the strike will be accompanied by intensified agitation against the notification of August 13, 2025, designating police stations as venues for recording evidence.
The Coordination Committee emphasized that the strike will continue indefinitely until the government withdraws the circular and issues clarifications in line with the Home Minister’s assurance.