Lawyers demand separate bench of HC for West UP

New Delhi, Nov 20 (UNI) After farmers, it was the turn of lawyers

from Western Uttar Pradesh to register their protest for ignoring

their 40-year-old demand for a separate High Court Bench in the

western region of the state.

Hundreds of lawyers from UP today held a demonstration at
Jantar Mantar asking the Union and UP government to stop passing
the buck and take concrete steps to give respite to lakhs of
people residing in the western UP.

Chairman of High Court Bench Establishment G S Dhama said, ''It
is not just lawyers who are demanding the separate bench, it is the
demand of people.''

He alleged that both the Centre and the state government were
passing the buck and not paying heed to the problems of the people.

People have to travel 800 km to reach Allahabad. The long
distance adds to the already high cost of pursuing a case in High
Court. Poor people cannot afford to pursue their case for a longer
period. So it is a kind of impediment in the way of justice, Mr
Dhama noted.

Former Union Minister Oscar Fernandes went to meet the agitators
and said it was a genuine demand and the Centre government also
considers it but until the state government does not put the demand
on table, nothing can be done.

Around 14 lakh cases were pending in the Allahabad High Court out
of which, around eight lakh were from Western UP and 16 districts
fall in this region.