On Friday, January 9, 2026, a deeply distressing incident unfolded at Delhi's Saket District Court, where a staff member, identified as Harish Singh Mahar, died by suicide after jumping from a building within the complex. Mahar, who was reportedly 43 years old and 60% physically disabled, was employed as an ahlmad (court record-keeper). Police recovered a suicide note from the scene, in which he explicitly cited severe and overwhelming work pressure, along with resulting mental distress and sleeplessness, as the primary reasons for taking the extreme step. He conveyed his struggle to cope with the demands of the job given his physical condition and also expressed concerns about the financial implications of early retirement, which added to his despair. The tragic event immediately triggered shockwaves and led to widespread protests by court staff and lawyers outside the Saket court premises. They raised slogans demanding 'Justice for Harish' and brought attention to critical issues such as chronic staff shortages, excessively high caseloads (with some handling ten times the ideal workload), and allegations of rude and authoritative behaviour from some judges. The District and Sessions Courts Employees Welfare Association announced a boycott of the National Lok Adalat scheduled for the following day, January 10, 2026, across all district courts in Delhi, in protest. Following a two-hour meeting with the Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, who heard their grievances and passed necessary directions concerning their demands, including the recruitment of more court staff to alleviate pressure, the proposed strike was called off.