The Bar Council of Delhi and Delhi High Court Bar Association have demanded that advocates residing in the National Capital Region (NCR) should be permitted to attend to their offices in Delhi.
The Bar Council of Delhi has written a letter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the matter whereas Delhi High Court Bar Association has written a letter to Chief Justice of Delhi High Court seeking permission for movement of advocates in the national capital.
In its letter, the Bar Council of Delhi requested Kejriwal to allow advocates to commute from their residence to offices in the national capital.
"Since as per your public address dated May 3, 2020, private offices were permitted to be opened with 1/3 rd staff strength. In view thereof, many advocates who have been practicing in Delhi but are residing in NCR and are having their offices in different parts of Delhi, are entitled to travel to their Delhi office from place of their residence in NCR and go back, but they are not being permitted, to so travel," BCD Chairman KC Mittal said in his letter.
Mittal said that the lawyers are entitled to open their offices but are prevented by the border states.
Mittal further requested necessary clarifications that all such advocates residing in NCR, should be permitted to attend to their offices in Delhi and travel back on showing their ID card issued by the Bar Council of Delhi.
Delhi High Court Bar Association President Mohit Mathur, in his letter to Delhi High Court Chief Justice on Monday, said that "in view of the difficulties being faced by a large number of advocates practicing in courts at Delhi and so that no prejudice is occasioned to the litigating public, the association would be grateful if necessary directions are graciously issued to the Delhi Police to permit advocates who reside outside the Delhi Border within the National Capital Region like Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Faridabad, etc to freely move into and out of Delhi upon production of valid identity cards."
"The Delhi Police may also be directed to take up the matter with their counterparts in the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana with the alacrity the issue deserves," Mathur said.
( With inputs from ANI )