Lawyers seek HC Bench in Bellary

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, JULY 4. A delegation of the Bellary Bar Association met the Chief Minister, Mr. S.M.Krishna, here today, and appealed to him to take steps to establish a Bench of the Karnataka High Court in Bellary.

In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister, the delegation said that Bellary was located centrally in North Karnataka, and was easily accessible from the districts in the region.

Besides the office-bearers of the Bellary Bar Association led by its President, Mr. S.Chandrashekar, the delegation included the Minister of State for Horticulture, Mr. Allum Veerabhadrappa, and Mr. M.Thippanna, MLC.

The memorandum they submitted said infrastructure was readily available in Bellary for establishing a High Court Bench. Because of its location and potential for all-round development, the British had located several divisional offices in the city. It was unfortunate that following the formation of Karnataka after Reorganisation of States, the divisional offices were shifted to Gulbarga.

The memorandum said that the Court of the District Judge and the Court of the Sessions in Bellary were presided over by several senior-most judges when they were located in the erstwhile State of Madras, and most of the judges were elevated to the High Court of Judicature in Madras. Consequently, the advocates of the Bar had rendered yeoman service to the judiciary.

The memorandum pointed out that the building of the Court of the District and Sessions Judge had its own grandeur, and had a vast open space all around. The building could be used for establishing a High Court Bench, and new buildings, if needed, could be constructed in the adjoining premises.

The delegation pointed out that the court and the Bar Association had a big library with a vast collection of books which could be used by a High Court Bench. The establishment of a Bench would cater to the needs of the districts in North Karnataka.

"The location of the Bench, we believe, shall not be on the basis of the alleged political pulls or other types of pressure. It must be capable of taking justice to the litigant public," the memorandum said.

It said that over 100 advocates from Bellary were practising in Bangalore, and three of the members of the Bar Association were on the Bench of the High Court.

Meanwhile, a report from Bellary said members of the Bellary Bar Association ended their boycott of the court on Tuesday. They launched a relay hunger-strike on the court premises in support of their demand for establishment of a High Court Bench.

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Section  : Southern States
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