The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Agitation for High Court Bench to be intensified

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Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Agitation for High Court Bench to be intensified

Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Aimed at intensifying the ongoing agitation by members of the Thiruvananthapuram Bar Association for the constitution of a High Court Bench in the State capital, the Federation of Residents Associations Thi ruvananthapuram (FRAT) will spread the campaign to the grass-root level in the district in the coming days. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the apex body of FRAT on Tuesday.

As part of the programme, FRAT would launch a poster campaign highlighting the slogan “issue notification for a High Court Bench in the capital city” across the district. This would be followed by public meetings at various parts of the district. The meetings would be attended by prominent personalities from all walks of life, a release issued by Paraniyam Devakumar, general secretary, FRAT, said. The apex body welcomed the State government decision to allocate Rs.50 lakh in the budget and hoped that the request made by the Union Minister for Law to the Chief Justice of Kerala High Court to review the decision would pave the way for the constitution of the bench here. However, if it did not materialise, efforts should be made to constitute the bench as per the States Reorganisation Act of 1956. According to the Act, the Pres ident may, after consultation with the Governor and the Chief Justice of the High Cou rt, provide for the establishment of a permanent Bench or Benches of the High Court.

Meanwhile, the indefinite Satyagraha of lawyers in front of the Vanchiyoor court complex entered the 33rd day on Tuesday. Prakasananda, president, Sree Narayana Dharma Sanghom Trust, Sivagiri, addressed the lawyers.

As part of the agitation, lawyers would boycott all legal proceedings at the Vanchiyoor court on Wednesday. The Kovalam East Residents’ Association will organise a rally in support of the striking lawyers on Wednesday morning. A report on the month-long activities carried out by the members of the Bar Association was evaluated at a meeting convened by V. Sivankutty, MLA, under the aegis of the High Court Bench Samara Sahaya Samithi.

Constitution of a High Court Bench here was one of the long-pending demands of the members of the Bar Association here. They said a Bench could save the State exchequer up to Rs.30 crore by cutting down travel expenses and prevent any communication gap in conveying information about the day-to-day proceedings at the High Court.

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