The indefinite strike by over 80,000 lawyers of the Patna High Court and subordinate courts in Bihar demanding withdrawal of the hike in court fees continued for the fourth day today.
Hundreds of lawyers blocked the busy Ashok Rajpath near Pirbahore police station for more than two hours disrupting vehicular traffic. They shouted anti-government slogans and burnt tyres.
Around 90 lawyers were then detained at the Pirbahore police station for disrupting the traffic, official sources said. The court proceedings across the state continued to be affected as there were no no signs of rapprochement with the state government sticking to its decision on the hike in the court fees effected because of the recommendations of the Shetty commission.
We are not not going to resume works unless the state government withdraws the hike in the court fees, Rana Pratap Singh, president of Patna High Court Bar Association, said.
On Wednesday the coordination committee of three lawyers’ association of the court had resolved to continue the stir. Singh said the coordination committee had invited representatives of 122 bar associations in various districts to attend an extraordinary meeting to discuss the future course of agitation here on April 7.
The lawyers of the subordinate courts at Danapur, Patna city, Patna district collectorate, Kishanganj, Purnia, Barh and Masaurhi have already gone on an indefinite strike on the issue.