Patna High Court remained paralysed on Wednesday as around 12,000 lawyers abstained from professional duty for the second consecutive day following approval from the Bihar State Bar Council.

The co-ordination committee of Advocates' Association, Bar Association and Lawyers' Association called the strike on Tuesday. Sri Prakash Srivastava, the convener of the committee, on Wednesday said: "According to an earlier resolution of the Bihar State Bar Council, lawyers cannot remain on strike for more than a day without its approval. So, we had sought its endorsement to our strike. The council justified the decision of the co-ordination committee to go on strike and gave in-principle support to it."

The lawyers have gone on strike in protest against the high court's move to bring changes in the procedure of filing new cases and rectifying the defects, if any, in the original petition. They also want adequate seating arrangements in the court.

The high court administration recently came up with a new rule, making it mandatory for the lawyers to stand in queue for rectifying defects in petitions. Earlier, it was done by their assistants.

A delegation of the co-ordination committee of Advocates' Association, Bar Association and Lawyers' Association on Wednesday met the officials of the Bihar State Bar Council to discuss the issues threadbare pertaining to the demands of the agitating lawyers. Former president of Advocates' Association Yogesh Chandra Verma said: "The Bihar State Bar Council conceded to our request of giving approval to our strike as it felt the demands raised by the lawyers were genuine. The council sided with their concerns."

The Bihar State Bar Council subsequently issued a letter to Srivastava. "The council is of the view that the demands of the co-ordination committee are genuine. It is of the view that the amendment to the rules on the filing process (of cases) and removing defects is against the dignity of advocates and is not befitting to the officers of the court. We are of the view that the high court should consider the request of the associations of the high court and the co-ordination committee," the letter states.

Verma, a senior advocate of the high court, claimed that the council would send a similar letter to the Chief Justice, apprising him of its decision. He said the Bihar State Bar Council would meet again on Saturday to discuss the issue. "Depending on the outcome of that meeting, the future course of action would be charted out," Verma added.

Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, who was in the city on Wednesday, met Patna High Court Chief Justice L. Narasimha Reddy and pleaded to resolve the stalemate.