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HC has open mind on Bench: CJ

By Our Special Correspondent

GULBARGA SEPT. 6. The Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, N.K. Jain, said today that the High Court had an open mind on the issue of establishing a permanent Bench of the court in north Karnataka, and would reconsider the demand if there was consensus on its location among the 12 districts of the region.

Mr. Justice Jain was addressing delegations from the Gulbarga Bar Association (GBA), the Gulbarga District Congress Committee, the BJP and the zilla panchayat at the Government Guest House here.

Mr. Justice Jain criticised advocates for launching an agitation on the issue.

Describing the agitation by the various Bar associations as a "counter blast'' to similar agitations in other districts, he said he did not agree with the view that poverty and backwardness of north Karnataka had resulted in a lower number of cases filed from the region in the High Court. The percentage of cases from north Karnataka pending in the High Court was only 29 while, according to the Jaswant Singh Commission's recommendation, it should be 33 per cent for establishment of a Bench. Pending cases from Hyderabad and Karnataka formed only eight per cent of the total cases.

However, the High Court had not yet taken a decision on the location of the Bench considering the problems those litigants from Hyderabad and Karnataka would face.

Mr. Justice Jain told the delegation that the High Court had decided not to go against the norms fixed by the Jaswant Singh Commission on the minimum percentage of cases from a region pending in the High Court, to sanction a Bench.

On the Government and the people concerned should take the initiative to arrive at consensus, Mr. Justice Jain said the demand for a Bench was now being made by other centres.

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