Ranchi: Thirteen days after it announced a boycott of executive courts, the Ranchi District Bar Association (RDBA) on Monday partially withdrew its boycott allowing members to attend proceedings in all courts and tribunals, except the sub-divisional officer’s (SDO) court and the related executive magistrate’s court.The RDBA began protests on Aug 4 after the SDO office issued notices to some members under section 126 of BNSS based on a woman’s complaint, who alleged a few advocates had threatened her and her witnesses.In a notice issued on Monday, RDBA said, “The members can participate in regular judicial and legal works at all courts and tribunals, barring the SDO court. The decision would be effective till further order.”The boycott has affected hearings in around 60,000 cases so far. Over 4,000 cases each are heard daily in the civil court and the executive courts, making the impact of the boycott significant for litigants and court functioning.The lawyers had stayed away from all courts till Aug 9. They resumed work in the civil courts a day later, but continued boycotting executive courts, including tribunals, the land records deputy collector and the deputy commissioner. The latest notice further relaxes those restrictions, permitting participation in most forums while maintaining pressure over the SDO court issue.RDBA general secretary Sanjay Vidrohi said, “We have written a letter to SDO asking him to recall the notice or else the competent court would be approached against the step.”
