Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma has decided to recuse himself from judicial work amid ongoing protests by lawyers demanding that he be divested of his charge and that a permanent Chief Justice be appointed to the High Court.
According to the new roster finalised by Justice Sharma, no Bench comprising him has been constituted and no regular judicial sittings have been assigned to him between September 1 and September 5. Matters earlier assigned to the Acting Chief Justice have also been redistributed among other Benches.
The development comes amid an escalating protest by lawyers at the Rajasthan High Court. Earlier on Monday, the Rajasthan High Court Lawyers Association announced a complete strike until September 6 following an emergency general house meeting.
The association also resolved to send representations to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and the President of India. The strike followed protests by advocates at both the Jaipur and Jodhpur Benches of the High Court against Justice Sharma. Police were called to the Jaipur court premises to disperse protesting lawyers.
Visuals from the protests showed advocates raising slogans against Justice Sharma, including allegations directed at the Acting Chief Justice.
The controversy has unfolded against the backdrop of growing discontent among lawyers over the continued functioning of Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma as the Acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court. Advocates at both the Jaipur and Jodhpur Benches have been protesting, demanding that he be divested of the additional charge and that a permanent Chief Justice be appointed to the High Court. The protests intensified on Monday, with the Rajasthan High Court Lawyers Association calling for a complete strike until September 6 and resolving to send representations to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and the President of India.
Amid the escalating agitation, police were called to the Jaipur High Court premises to disperse protesting advocates. The demonstrations also saw lawyers raising slogans against Justice Sharma.
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