Can lawyers strike or boycott a court? Two Supreme Court judgments in plain words

Banthry Prep. General information, not legal advice. Summaries are our own words; read the judgments for the full text.

1. Ex-Capt. Harish Uppal v. Union of India (Supreme Court, 2002)

Lawyers have no right to go on strike or call a boycott, not even a token strike.
A lawyer's duty is to the client and the court; a strike stops justice for litigants who have no part in the dispute.
Where lawyers have a grievance, the route is written representations and consulting the Chief Justice or the District Judge, not a strike.
In the rarest of rare cases, a protest of no more than one day on the dignity, integrity or independence of the Bar and the judiciary "may be overlooked" by courts. Even then, the Bar's president must first consult the Chief Justice or the District Judge, whose decision is final.

The Court repeated that lawyers have no right to strike or boycott courts.
Boycotting courts is not protected by the right to free speech under Article 19(1)(a).
The Court held that every resolution to go on strike or abstain from work is per se contempt.
Bar Councils are expected to act against those who call or join such strikes.

Put it in writing, with dates and facts.
Send it to the Chief Justice of the High Court (for a district court, to the District Judge and the High Court).
Use the High Court's grievance redressal committee where one exists.
Never stop litigants' cases.

The Allahabad High Court Bar Association wrote to the Chief Justice on 27 October 2026 alleging that a judge humiliated

lawyers in court, and warned it would boycott that judge's court. These are the association's allegations; the judge

had not publicly responded when this was written.

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