Apex Bar Tries To End Deadlock Over Rohini

New Delhi, Apr 5 (UNI) In a bid to break the three-week deadlock between lawyers and the Bench over transfer of some district courts to Northwest Delhi without ''facilities,'' the Supreme Court Bar Association has announced a professionals' committee to ''reopen a channel of communication'' with Judges.

The announcement came last night after an SCBA general body meeting which named its President P H Parekh, senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and M N Krishnamani, and Delhi Bar Council Chairman Ramesh Gupta to the committee.

Speakers at the meeting last evening voiced concern over Tis Hazari court lawyers' three month old agitation against shifting district courts to Rohini without providing adequate facilities for lawyers or litigants.

The discussions between the Bar Council, a statutory body of lawyers practising in the Capital, and the Judge representatives of the High Court have been deadlocked since March 14.

The Committee set up tonight is to ''reopen a channel of communication between the legal community and the Hon'ble Judges to work towards a solution of the problems as tentatively arrived at on 14.3.2006,'' an SCBA resolution said.

The meeting also resolved that the SCBA President and the Honorary Secretary visit Rohini Court Complex and report on the existing infrastructure and facilities for Bar members and litigants.

The participants were cautioned by one speaker against giving people the impression that if lawyers and judges cannot solve their problems how can they deliver justice.

The Association requested Chief Justice Yogesh Kumar Sabharwal and Delhi High Court Chief Justice Markandeya Katju to find an amicable solution at the earliest.

It stressed ''keeping in view'' an understanding reached between Justice Katju on one hand and senior advocate Kapil Sibal and DBC Chairman Gupta, on the other.

The ''understanding'' was described by speakers as the basis on which the Delhi Bar Association had suspended its strike ''and was awaiting'' appointment of a committee by the High Court with ''agreed upon'' terms of reference and lawyer members.

Three lawyer members were supposed to be picked from a panel of five, which included Sibal, Arun Jaitley, Singhvi, Parekh and Gupta.

The High Court constituted instead a committee of ''three Judges only and excluded the names of the lawyers' representatives''-- an outcome the DBA rejected and went back on strike, one speaker said.

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