Strike two

Amid all this,what really takes the cake is Delhis lawyers strike. District lawyers,who fear that the recent CrPC amendment vesting greater discretionary powers in the police would lead to a worrisome drying up of bail cases,have decided to go on strike. They cite warnings of increased lawlessness,but privately admit that their reasons are more self-serving this despite directives from every judicial authority to refrain from an option where litigants suffer. The strike cuts right to the heart of such agitations the range of petty,self-serving motives enclosed in grand pleas for justice,and the unfair consequences for ordinary people who are in no way responsible for the trouble. Strikes tend to be widespread when working people fear becoming worse off. But these are generally downbeat times,and it is especially counterproductive for essential service providers to gang up for their own interests,affecting the lives of ordinary people. These strikes are essentially trials of strength and the government would do well in not succumbing to such transparently self-serving tantrums.