The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : LDF to launch stir for High Court Bench

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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

LDF to launch stir for High Court Bench

Special Correspondent

All other State capitals have a High Court or Bench: Pinarayi

Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

PROTEST: Left Democratic Front leaders during the dharna organised in front of the Raj Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday demanding the establishment of a High Court Bench in the capital.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan said here on Friday that the district committee of the LDF would launch a protracted agitation and step up pressure on the Centre for the establishment of a High Court Bench in the state capital. He was speaking after inaugurating a hunger strike organised by the LDF in front of the Raj Bhavan to highlight the demand for a Bench.

“The demand is a long-standing and legitimate one. All the other State capitals have a High Court or a Bench. A majority of the cases reaching the High Court at Kochi involve the government as respondent. Officials appearing in court are absent from office for days. Apart from the administrative problems, this results in a financial burden for the government. The only solution is to set up a High Court Bench in the capital.”

Mr. Vijayan said the State government was trying its best to get the demand conceded. “The Law Minister and MPs from the State have brought the issue to the notice of the Centre several times. There is no justifiable reason for the Central Government to delay the proposal.”

He said the LDF would not be prepared for any compromise on the issue. CPI(M) district secretary Kadakampally Surendran presided over the function. MPs Varkala Radhakrishnan and Pannian Ravindran, Mayor C. Jayan Babu, MLAs V. Sivankutty, Anathalavattam Anandan, J. Arundhati, V.J. Thankappan, N. Rajan, R. Selvaraj, V. Surendran Pillai and Mangode Radhakrishnan, district panchayat president Anavoor Nagappan, SFI State president Sindhu Joy, DYFI State president M.B. Rajesh, RSP district secretary Ambalathara Sreedharan Nair and Kerala Congress (J) general secretary George Sebastian addressed the gathering.

Several organisations representing political parties, lawyers, youth, students, women, service organisations and trade unions joined the agitation.

Later, a delegation led by Varkala Radhakrishnan MP submitted a memorandum to the Governor.

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