New Delhi: Following the tragic death of a court staff member at Saket District Court, the Saket Court Bar Association has raised serious concerns over rising stress levels within the judicial ecosystem, calling the incident a “wake-up call” for the entire system.
Speaking to the media, Saket Court Bar Association President Bharat Sharma said the incident has deeply shaken the legal fraternity, emphasising that any such tragedy within court premises raises serious questions about institutional stress and workplace management.
“This should never happen inside court premises. Court staff, advocates and the judiciary together function as one legal family. If such an incident occurs during working hours, it reflects a deeper systemic issue that must be addressed,” Sharma said.
He added that lawyers are already working under immense pressure due to heavy case pendency, and if court staff are also experiencing extreme stress, it becomes a matter of concern not just for the judiciary but for public confidence in the justice delivery system itself.
Reacting to the protest staged earlier in the day, Sharma said the demonstration was justified. “The individual we lost was one of our own. The Bar and the Bench share a long-standing professional relationship, and such incidents compel us to raise our voice and seek corrective measures,” he said.
On whether court work would be affected, Sharma clarified that no final decision has been taken yet and that the Bar Association will collectively decide the next course of action after internal deliberations.
“The first priority is to establish the actual cause of the incident. Whether it was related to workplace stress, family issues, or any institutional factor must be ascertained through proper inquiry. Only after that can meaningful steps be taken,” he stated.
The Bar Association has strongly advocated for a uniform stress-management mechanism across the judiciary, covering advocates, court staff and judicial officers alike.
“At present, everyone in the legal system is battling stress in some form. A structured, universal stress-management framework is the need of the hour,” Sharma said.
Investigations into the incident are currently underway, and the Bar Association has said it will wait for the findings before announcing any further protest or action.
