Karkardooma Court Lawyers Strike Over Police Inaction, Bar Police Entry
Karkardooma Court lawyers strike, bar police entry after alleged police inaction on assault complaint.
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On 20 March 2026, work at the Karkardooma Courts complex in Northeast Delhi was suspended after lawyers initiated a strike. The action was taken in protest against alleged police inaction following a complaint of assault and robbery filed by a member of the legal community. The Shahdara Bar Association called for a complete halt to work and resolved to prevent police officers from entering the court premises as part of the protest.
As reported by The Indian Express, the Shahdara Bar Association (SBA) convened an emergency meeting on 19 March 2026 to address the incident. The SBA’s circular, signed by its president V K Singh and honorary secretary Narveer Dabas, stated that a Bar member had been attacked and robbed within the jurisdiction of Ghazipur police station. Although an FIR was registered, the SBA alleged that the Station House Officer (SHO) failed to take action against the accused and was “shielding the real culprits.”
The SBA’s circular further referenced previous incidents where police allegedly failed to act on complaints by lawyers. It cited an earlier case in which a lawyer was shot and injured, with police from Mayur Vihar police station reportedly not arresting all accused persons to date according to coverage. The circular also mentioned instances of alleged police misbehaviour with lawyers at police stations and a pattern of inaction on advocates’ complaints.
The SBA’s executive committee unanimously resolved to suspend all work on 20 March 2026 and to ban police entry into the court premises for the day. The circular stated, “All the members of Shahdara Bar Association are hereby informed that an emergent meeting…was called today to discuss a serious incident wherein a member of the Bar was brutally attacked and robbed within territorial jurisdiction of P.S. Ghazipur. Though an FIR…was registered…, however, SHO Ghazipur failed to take any action against the accused person and to arrest them.”
“The circular alleged that the SHO had ‘intentionally failed to take any action against accused persons and has been taking time on one pretext or another just to shield the real culprits’,” the SBA stated.
There are approximately 1.65 lakh registered lawyers in Delhi, and the legal community has previously resorted to strikes to press demands. In September 2023, lawyers in Delhi’s district courts abstained from work following the murder of an advocate in Ghaziabad and an attack on advocates in Hapur. In December 2023, the Dwarka Court Bar Association passed a resolution to abstain from work after a Delhi Police official allegedly assaulted a lawyer at Uttam Nagar East Metro station as reporting indicated.
In August 2024, lawyers at Dwarka Court prevented police vehicles from entering court complexes, citing restrictions on lawyers’ vehicles at police stations. July 2024 saw protests against an administrative order restricting entry of repair materials into lawyers’ chambers, and lawyers across Delhi abstained from work in opposition to new criminal laws extending police custody periods as analysis showed.
February 2025 witnessed a citywide lawyers’ strike over the Advocates Amendment Bill, which included clauses prohibiting advocates from boycotting court work. In June 2025, lawyers abstained from work after a decision to move judges of digital Negotiable Instruments Act courtrooms. In August 2025, a six-day strike was held against a notification allowing police to record evidence via video conferencing from police stations as details emerged.
Note: This article is produced using AI-assisted tools and is based on publicly available information. It has been reviewed by The Quint's editorial team before publishing.