Legal practitioners from the Andhra Pradesh High Court Advocates Association (APHCAA) and the Telangana High Court Advocates Association (THCAA) came together and staged a protest march as the corridors and courtrooms of the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh High Court wore a deserted look today, demanding the appointment of judges to the High Court and the setting up of a Supreme Court Bench at Hyderabad.
After assembling outside gate number 6 of the High Court, hundreds of lawyers took part in the protest march which proceeded to the iconic Charminar, about a kilometre away, where they raised slogans and interacted with the media. The protest march went on without causing any inconvenience to the residents and commuters along the route. Security forces including the Telangana Police and the Rapid Action Force dotted the route.
The lawyers demanded the immediate attention of the Central Government on multifarious issues ranging from vacancies in the judiciary to the setting up of a Circuit Bench of the Supreme Court in Hyderabad. Challa Dhanamjaya, President of the Andhra Pradesh Advocates Association, avowed that protesting against pendency by boycotting work was a contradiction, however, in his opinion this was the only way to put pressure on the authorities, who have ignored the longstanding demands of the lawyers.
The lawyers also expressed concern against the implementation of Section 41-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, which empowers the police to issue a notice of appearance to a person against whom a reasonable complaint has been made. The President stated that the State Police were using their power to grant bail indiscriminately.
“Only those that can meet the demands of the police are being benefited, the police is not exercising this power judiciously”, he added.
It was, however, also agreed that if properly exercised, the power would reduce the burden on the subordinate judiciary.
Jalli Kanakaiah, President of the Telangana High Court Advocates Association (THAA), said that the geographic location of Hyderabad made it an ideal place to host a Circuit Bench of the Supreme Court.
“Its location vis-a-vis other Southern States, and excellent connectivity makes it a good choice, he added.”
The High Courts all over the nation seem to be facing this perennial problem of the dearth of quality judges further exacerbating the overburdened judicial framework, demands have been made earlier at the High Courts of Karnataka, Odisha and Calcutta. With the various negatives in the judicial framework of the country, the omnipresent hindrance of vacancies is only slowing down the already sluggish system.
The High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad currently has 31 vacancies, against a sanctioned strength of 61 judges.
