Cal HC lawyers' ceasework extended till Mar 5

Press Trust of India  |  Kolkata 

Lawyers associations at the today extended till March 5 their ceasework to press for immediate appointment of judges to fill up vacant posts, leaving litigants in the lurch. Claiming that the Centre is yet to respond to their demand for filling up the vacancies for judges in the high court, three lawyers bodies took separate resolutions to extend the ceasework which they had launched on February 20. "The collegium has cleared five names for appointment as judges, but the Union ministry is yet to clear these," said. "We also want appointment of a to the high court, which has been headed by justices for the last three years except for just three months when Justice was elevated to the post," he said. Justice Gupta, a of Calcutta high court, was the justice when he was made a three months before his retirement, Majumdar said. "We are astonished that there has been no reaction or response from the Union ministry despite a five-day ceasework at one of the premier high courts in the country for the legitimate demand of appointment of judges," High Court Bar told here. He said that the lawyers bodies had sent representations for a meeting with Union Minister but are yet to receive any communication. "As such we have decided to extend the ceasework till March five, on which date we will meet again to decide on the future course of action," Mitra, a former general at the high court, said. Incorporated Society, another lawyers' forum at the high court, also took a separate resolution to extend the ceasework along with the other two bodies. "We hope that the Union ministry will respond to our demand soon given the huge shortage in the number of judges at the high court, which is delaying dispensation of justice to the litigants," its said. The high court at present has 30 sitting judges out of a sanctioned strength of 72. Out of the 30, two judges are permanently on rotation at the Andaman and Nicobar Circuit bench of the high court. Over 2.22 lakh cases were pending before the high court as on December 31, 2017, as per official data. Hundreds of litigants, who had come to the court hoping that the ceasework would be lifted today, were left disappointed due to the uncertainty over when their petitions would be taken up for hearing. ''While the vacancies in the judiciary are delaying hearing of our cases, the ceasework is also leading to piling up of pending cases,'' said one of the many petitioners who had turned up at the court from across the state hoping that their cases would be heard. Judges sat in the court rooms in the morning as usual.

But as no appeared to argue the petitions which were called for hearing they retired to their respective chambers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Mon, February 26 2018. 15:45 IST
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