Gurgaon: Weeks after a fire broke out at the district court complex, hundreds of lawyers have warned that they may resume sitting in halls 1, 2 and 3 due to the absence of any workspaces.Around 800-1,000 lawyers have warned that they will resume sitting in the three halls, which are located in the main judicial complex — affected by the May 25 blaze — from July 1 if they are not restored to their original workspaces by June 30.District Bar Association said the fire disrupted the practice of hundreds of advocates, many of whom do not have private chambers and depended on the affected halls and adjoining galleries.Association president Chandakant Sharma said preliminary assessments indicate no major structural damage, but final conclusions will be possible only after debris removal and technical inspections. The association also highlighted the long-pending shortage of lawyers’ chambers, noting that the Tower of Justice project — under construction since 2013 — still lacks adequate provisions for advocates.“Committees will be formed to pursue both restoration and chamber allocation demands,” said Sharma on Wednesday, adding, “The fire has caused heavy damage to the building along with the records. However, in meetings held with the sessions judge and officials of the public works department, it was said that in the initial assessment no serious structural damage is visible in hall numbers 1, 2 and 3. The administration should quickly complete the work of removing the debris and the technical inspection so that the affected lawyers can return to their places soon.”Former president of the bar and senior advocate Kulbhushan Bharadwaj said that the affected lawyers have maintained patience so far, but their troubles are constantly increasing. “Most of the lawyers do not have private chambers and for years they were practising sitting in hall numbers 1, 2 and 3 and the gallery attached to it,” said Bharadwaj. He said that a committee will be formed by the bar, which will remain in continuous contact with the sessions judge, the administration and officials of the concerned departments and convey information about the situation to the lawyers.The construction of the Tower of Justice project in Gurgaon has been going on since 2013, but the arrangement of chambers for lawyers has not been made to date, whereas in most of the new court complexes in the state, chambers have also been built along with the court buildings. “There is no clear provision for permanent chambers for lawyers in the new Tower of Justice. In such a situation, the long-standing demand of the lawyers cannot be ignored any further now,” said Sharma.The bar association announced that “a separate committee will place the demand” of the lawyers before Punjab and Haryana high court, the Chief Justice of Supreme Court and Haryana govt.
