Lawyers go on day-long hunger strike
strike
Kolhapur: The lawyers from Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Kolhapur observed a day-long token hunger strike on Friday in front of their respective district court premises to protest the state government's delay in taking a decision on setting up a circuit bench of the Bombay high court (HC) in Kolhapur.
The lawyers from the district, led by president of the Kolhapur District Bar Association (KDBA) and convener of the Joint Action Committee Prakash More, gathered on Friday morning in front of the new district court premises and began their strike.
Addressing the lawyers' gathering at a specially erected mandap, More said, "After our 55 successful days of agitation earlier, the state government had given positive report on the circuit bench in September 2015 to then Chief Justice of the Bombay HC Mohit Shaha. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also mentioned the issue at various places. But there has been no concrete development in this regard. Therefore, we needed to intensify our ongoing agitation. As a first step, we observed a token hunger strike in six districts seeking attention of the government towards our demand."
A senior lawyer said, "We were ready with all the essential documents emphasising on the necessity of a circuit bench in Kolhapur. We have already submitted all the necessary documents in this regard. The lawyers are optimistic this time and expect that the new chief justice will take the decision keeping in view the increased pendency and difficulty faced by the litigants."
"We have been agitating for the circuit bench for the last three decades. We feel that the agitation is in the final stage. To keep the issue alive, we keep on touring the talukas of six districts and regularly conduct meetings regarding our demand," the lawyer said.
In January 2013, a three-member committee was set up to look into the demand. The committee submitted the report in 2015 to then Shah, who forwarded it to the full bench of judges before retiring on September 8, 2015.
The lawyers from the district, led by president of the Kolhapur District Bar Association (KDBA) and convener of the Joint Action Committee Prakash More, gathered on Friday morning in front of the new district court premises and began their strike.
Addressing the lawyers' gathering at a specially erected mandap, More said, "After our 55 successful days of agitation earlier, the state government had given positive report on the circuit bench in September 2015 to then Chief Justice of the Bombay HC Mohit Shaha. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also mentioned the issue at various places. But there has been no concrete development in this regard. Therefore, we needed to intensify our ongoing agitation. As a first step, we observed a token hunger strike in six districts seeking attention of the government towards our demand."
"Several delegations of lawyers from these six districts visited Mumbai from time to time and stressed their demand for setting up the circuit bench. The only thing we have received so far is assurance. Hence, we were forced to observe the token strike," More added.
A senior lawyer said, "We were ready with all the essential documents emphasising on the necessity of a circuit bench in Kolhapur. We have already submitted all the necessary documents in this regard. The lawyers are optimistic this time and expect that the new chief justice will take the decision keeping in view the increased pendency and difficulty faced by the litigants."
"We have been agitating for the circuit bench for the last three decades. We feel that the agitation is in the final stage. To keep the issue alive, we keep on touring the talukas of six districts and regularly conduct meetings regarding our demand," the lawyer said.
In January 2013, a three-member committee was set up to look into the demand. The committee submitted the report in 2015 to then Shah, who forwarded it to the full bench of judges before retiring on September 8, 2015.
