New Delhi, 10 January (H.S.):

Saket District Court employees called off their proposed strike on Saturday following a productive two-hour meeting with Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, who addressed their demands to recruit additional staff and alleviate excessive workloads.

The agitation arose after Harish Singh Mahar, a 43-year-old Ahlmad (administrative clerk) posted in courtroom 27 of Judge Nandini Garg's NI Act digital court, jumped to his death from the fifth floor of the north wing, Block A, at Saket Court complex on Friday morning.

Originally from Faridabad and recently promoted to the complex three months prior, Mahar left behind a 94-year-old father and a suicide note explicitly citing unbearable work pressure.

In the note, Mahar described himself as 60 percent differently-abled, stating the clerical role—handling around 4,000 case files—was overwhelmingly tough, leading to sleeplessness, constant overthinking, and persistent suicidal thoughts since assuming the position. He emphasized acting of his own free will, absolving others of responsibility, and noted early retirement offered no immediate financial relief as pension access awaited age 60.

Justice Upadhyaya issued necessary directives during the meeting, prompting the District and Sessions Courts Employees Welfare Association (DSCEWA) to circulate assurances of imminent staffing reinforcements.

Employees had planned to boycott Saturday's National Lok Adalat across Delhi district courts but suspended action post-assurances, highlighting chronic understaffing burdens on court clerks managing voluminous records, schedules, and judicial paperwork.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar