Advocates at the Jaipur benche of the Rajasthan High Court have gone on strike against Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma, outside his court.Lawyers were seen raising slogans, including “Gali gali mein shor hai, humara mukhiya chor hai” against Justice Sharma during the protest.
The strike comes days after reports of letters written by Supreme Court Justice Sandeep Mehta to CJI Surya Kant, in which Justice Mehta accused Justice Sharma of allegedly manipulating case listings and misusing his administrative powers. Justice Mehta had urged the CJI to appoint a Chief Justice from another State to head the Rajasthan High Court with immediate effect.
The allegations, however, have not been adjudicated. CJI Surya Kant has said that the Collegium is examining the matter and that Justice Sharma must be given an opportunity to respond before any conclusion is reached. He also stressed that the allegations cannot by themselves be treated as findings against the judge.
The bar associations at Jodhpur were scheduled to meet to decide their further course of action, with protesting advocates seeking consideration of an indefinite strike