A section of lawyers in Jaipur on Monday sat on a protest outside the court of acting Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court, Sanjeev Prakash Sharma – who has been in the eye of a storm following a letter written by Supreme Court Justice Sandeep Mehta to the CJI over alleged “misuse of power”.

In Jodhpur, both lawyers’ associations announced a strike till Sunday as they demanded that the acting CJ be relieved of judicial and administrative duties.

The development comes days after letters by Justice Mehta to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant earlier this month became public.

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In his letters sent to the CJI — on August 2, August 10 and August 17 — and copied to other members of the Supreme Court Collegium, Justice Mehta accused Justice Sharma of “misuse of powers” and said he had received “several complaints”, which “raise doubts” on the Acting CJ’s “integrity”. Based on this, Justice Mehta also sought transfer of the acting CJ to another High Court and the appointment of a new Chief Justice.

In Jaipur, Rajeev Sogarwal, president of Rajasthan High Court Bar Association, Jaipur, told , “We convened a meeting today and after consultation, we have taken a decision to send a strong representation to the CJI, narrating the things and issues which have been raised by the Honourable Justice of the Supreme Court with regard to the acting CJ of Rajasthan.”

He said that they would request that the inquiry be concluded within a set time frame and that the “conclusion be placed in the public domain as this issue is now in the public domain.”

“Therefore we will request the CJI to conclude this issue (at the earliest) as it (the delay) is neither in the interest of advocates nor the judiciary,” Sogarwal said.

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Some lawyers also indulged in sloganeering outside the acting CJ’s court in the morning.

In Jodhpur, the Rajasthan High Court Lawyers’ Association and Rajasthan High Court Advocates’ Association announced a strike till Sunday.

Emergency meeting of lawyers’ bodies

Earlier, on August 27, the Rajasthan High Court Bar Association, Jaipur, the Rajasthan High Court Lawyers’ Association, Jodhpur, and the Rajasthan High Court Advocates’ Association, Jodhpur, had convened an emergency meeting of the office bearers of the three associations through video conferencing, where they expressed “serious concern over the recent developments that have come to light through the media.”

“The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has requested an institutional investigation. Since this matter is extremely serious and concerns the institutional dignity and independence of the judiciary, the legal community views this entire development with deep concern,” the associations had said.

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“We strongly and unequivocally condemn any alleged misuse of any position, office, or institutional arrangement within the judiciary. The judiciary is not merely a justice-delivering institution, but also the seat of the public’s ultimate faith in the democratic system. Therefore, any incident, conduct, or situation that calls into question the impartiality, dignity, or credibility of the judiciary must be addressed with the utmost seriousness,” they had said.

“We also humbly expect from the Hon’ble Judiciary that necessary action should be taken in this entire matter by giving top priority to institutional dignity, independence and transparency, so that the faith of the common people in the judiciary remains intact and the trust of every section of the society, including the advocate community, in the justice system becomes stronger,” they had said.

“Protecting the dignity of the judiciary is not just a matter for honorable judges or lawyers, but a question of the interests of the entire society and the strengthening of democracy. The legal community of Rajasthan is fully committed to the independence, impartiality, dignity, and institutional decorum of the judiciary and will continue to play a positive, responsible, and institutional role in maintaining the public and the Bar’s trust in the judiciary under all circumstances,” the three associations said.

Earlier, the Rajasthan High Court Advocates’ Association, Jodhpur, had written to the CJI on at least two occasions, seeking a permanent CJ for the HC and transfer of the acting CJ of Rajasthan to another High Court.