New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) The Saket court staff announced that they will abstain from work in Lok Adalat proceedings to protest the death of their colleague who committed suicide citing excessive work pressure on Friday.
The National Lok Adalat has been scheduled for Saturday in all district courts in India.
The decision followed a massive gathering of staffers in the court complex who staged a protest over the death of a 43-year-old Harish Singh Mahar, an Ahlmad (administrative clerk) posted in court room 27 of the NI Act digital court of judge Nandini Garg.
Mahar, who was 60 per cent physically disabled jumped from the fifth floor of the north wing, Block A of the Saket Court complex. He was rushed for medical assistance but succumbed to his injuries.
A suicide note was recovered, which Mahar had also shared in an official WhatsApp group shortly before taking the extreme step. In the note, he cited unbearable work pressure and mental distress.
“I am a 60 per cent handicapped person and this job is very tough for me. I succumbed to this pressure,” the note read.
Speaking to PTI, one of the protesting staffers said there was a severe shortage of staff in court rooms, with employees handling more than 4,000 cases, nearly ten times the ideal workload.
“Staff are working under immense pressure. We even worked during the winter holidays. The behaviour of judges towards us is often rude and authoritative,” she alleged.
Another court staffer, who has a hearing disability, said he frequently faced discrimination and hostile behaviour.
“We are under excessive work pressure. Last year alone, 20-25 staffers lost their lives due to heart attacks or health issues arising from a poor work environment. One person is doing the work of three to four employees.
“Because I cannot hear properly, judges yell at me and make it difficult for me to get leave when needed,” he claimed.
Following the incident, court staff walked out of courtrooms and raised slogans of ‘Justice for Harish’. They also met Principal District and Sessions Judge Gurvinder Pal Singh and urged him to take immediate action, but he instead asked them to file a writ petition.
“We met the principal district judge, but he did not assure us of any action and instead asked us to file a writ petition. We were also asked to submit our names and details. We fear retaliatory action once we resume work,” one of the protesting staffers said.
Former New Delhi Bar Association secretary Dhir Singh Kasana said the incident occurred around 10:15 am and urged Delhi High court to immediately intervene in the matter.
“This is a very unfortunate incident. An Ahlmad committed suicide citing work pressure. I urge the Delhi High Court and the Delhi government to allocate funds for the recruitment of additional court staff to reduce the workload,” Kasana said.
New Delhi Bar Association member Sanjay Rathi also expressed grief over the incident and said the matter should be addressed on priority.
“It is extremely unfortunate. Work pressure in courts should not reach such levels. He was young and had an opportunity to serve in the judiciary. It is a great loss to his family, and the administration must resolve this issue urgently,” Rathi said.
Mahar was a resident of Faridabad and lived with his 94-year-old father. He was recruited in 2010 and had been working in Saket court for the past three months. PTI SKM SKY SKY
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