Despite the Supreme Court ruling that lawyers cannot go on strike, the Bar Council of India, which had called for a nationwide lawyers' strike on Wednesday to protest against the Legal Services Authorities (Amendment) Act, 2002, providing for lok adalats in every public utility service department said that it cannot call off the proposed action.

Bar Council of India vice-chairman Adish C Aggarwala said, "The judgment is delivered at a juncture that the council is in no position to recall the joint decision taken on November 24 in consultation with all state bar councils to go on a strike on December 18."

"There is no time to call a joint meeting or even consult the office-bearers of the state bar councils on the phone. Naturally our earlier decision stands."

A five-judge bench had declared that the lawyers' strike was prejudicial to the interest of administration of justice and if any litigant suffered because of the strike, the advocate concerned would have to pay damages. Stopping short of declaring the strike illegal, the bench said, "The weapon of strike does more harm than good."