New Delhi: The impact of the West Asian conflict is hitting closer to home now, as the Strait of Hormuz blockade turns a global energy crisis into a reality across Indian households and institutions.
On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court lawyers and court staff received a notification about the unavailability of LPG gas cylinders in the kitchens that cater to the lawyers’ canteen. Meanwhile, the canteen operators could not say when the LPG supply would normalise.
“This is to respectfully inform you that due to the unavailability of the LPG gas cylinder at present, we regret that we are unable to prepare and serve the main course items in the Lawyers Canteen (sic),” read the notification, signed by Sandeep Sharma, who manages the canteen.
“At the moment, we do not have any information regarding when the LPG supply will be restored. We will resume the preparation of the main course as soon as the gas supply becomes available.”
The Delhi HC canteen, a well-known and beloved hangout for the court’s lawyers for decades, has acquired a reputation for serving delicious items, ranging from biryani to chhole bhature. Amid the LPG supply shortage, the notification said, as if to provide relief, that the canteen will continue to serve sandwiches, salads, fruit ‘chaats’, and similar refreshments.
The note ended with an apology from the canteen manager, saying, “We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and request your kind understanding and cooperation.”
When ThePrint contacted practising lawyers regarding the notification, they said that canteen operations were largely uninterrupted, with food served as usual.
Delhi High Court Bar Association Member Executive Shrey Sharawat said, “We were put to notice by the canteen operator. Since then, the Delhi High Court Bar Association has done its best in paving the way for necessary and alternative arrangements. Cooked food was available today. As of now, we have enough cylinders to keep the canteen running.”
Sharawat, however, added that it was only natural for the world to feel the impact of a war in West Asia, where the loss of life and property has been unimaginable.
“This only tells us that war is not just something we see on the news and social media. The effects of it are now here, around,” he said.
Attributing the LPG shortage to the war, Senior Advocate Kirti Uppal, the bar association’s ex-president, told ThePrint, “What can we say? All thanks to Trump and the war, this situation has arisen.”
Uppal, additionally, cautioned: “This could be the beginning of the problems we are going to face. Let’s see!”
A post-lunch visit to the court canteen revealed that the premises remain busy, bustling and thriving.
Speaking to ThePrint, advocate Abhishumat Gupta, a routine practitioner in the Delhi High Court, shared that by the time he entered the canteen premises, they had resumed serving all dishes, including biryani—a flagship dish served at the lawyers’ canteen.
“Earlier, they were not serving snacks while the main course was still being served,” he said, claiming that the notification might have mixed up the two.
Others shared anecdotes from their personal lives.
Advocate Rahul Raj Verma, who practices across Delhi courts, said his friend struggled to buy an LPG cylinder even after raising his bid to Rs 2500 or more.
Verma told ThePrint that today, the lawyers’ canteen used firewood for cooking. “If this war situation continues, things will worsen,” he said, adding that nearly 3,000 people eat lunch daily in the Delhi High Court canteen.
One of the court staffers, on the condition of anonymity, shared that they had to resort to cooking on the “chulha (uses traditional firewood)” to make food Wednesday.
“There is a shortage, and it is expected to last at least a month,” he noted.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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