In a major flashpoint between the Bar and judicial administration in the national capital, the Coordination Committee of All District Courts Bar Associations of Delhi has called for a complete abstention from judicial work on May 14, 2026, alleging that key decisions affecting lawyers, litigants, and the functioning of district courts are being taken without meaningful consultation with Bar Associations.
The protest move, announced through a circular, has put the spotlight on growing discontent within the legal fraternity over what it describes as an “arbitrary, unilateral and non-consultative” approach adopted by committees constituted by the Delhi High Court in matters concerning court infrastructure, pecuniary jurisdiction, and policy formulation.
The controversy began after the Coordination Committee convened an emergency meeting on May 10, where representatives of district court bar bodies unanimously voiced deep concern and serious anguish over the manner in which administrative decisions were allegedly being imposed without participation from practicing advocates.
The circular claims that repeated requests, representations, and suggestions made by Bar Associations had been consistently disregarded, despite such decisions having a direct bearing on lakhs of litigants and thousands of advocates appearing before Delhi’s district courts. The Committee asserted that the Bar cannot be treated as a passive observer in the justice delivery mechanism and argued that exclusion of advocates from institutional decision-making undermines democratic functioning within the judicial system.
The Coordination Committee declared that “The Bar is not a silent spectator to the justice delivery system. The Bar constitutes an indispensable and equal stakeholder in the administration of justice.” The circular further warned that decisions affecting district courts were being taken “without appreciating the practical realities faced on daily basis in District Courts across Delhi,” calling such an approach “wholly unacceptable and cannot be ignored.”
In one of the strongest remarks contained in the resolution, the Committee stated that the abstention “is not merely a protest; it is a collective assertion of the dignity, independence and legitimate rights of the public in general and legal fraternity.”
Consequently, the Committee called upon advocates across all district courts in Delhi to participate in a complete abstention from judicial work on May 14, 2026.
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