Lawyers to continue boycott till Nov 15

Visakhapatnam: City

lawyers

who have been boycotting their duties with the demand of setting up a permanent

high court

in Visakhapatnam will continue to boycott till November 15. The Visakhapatnam Bar Association (VBA) took the decision to continue the strike on Monday.

The VBA had planned a secret ballot referendum on Monday to get the opinion of members on whether the protests should continue or not. However, the referendum was withdrawn owing to a difference in opinion among lawyers. Thereafter, it was decided that the strike will go on till November 15.

Speaking to TOI, G Maheshwara Reddy, president of VBA said that representatives of VBA will meet the chief justice of the Andhra Pradesh high court Justice Jitendra Kumar Maheshwari on November 13 and 14 and place before him the need to set up the high court in Vizag.

According to reports, a majority of members of the VBA are in favour of continuing the protests. Lawyers feel that this is the right time to press of the demand, informed Maheshwara Reddy.

He further said, “We will decide on the future course of action on November 15.”

According to senior advocates K Muralidhar and P Anuradha, the temporary high court in Nelapadu, near Amaravati lacks basic amenities. They further said that there is no need to continue the high court in Amaravati, under the circumstances, and hence they are appealing that the permanent high court be set up in Vizag.

“This has been a long-pending demand of ours. Vizag houses several reputed law universities and the high court should be set up in Vizag,” another VBA member pointed out.

Meanwhile, owing to the protests, case hearings in the district court have almost come to a standstill. Sources in the legal fraternity said that most case trials have been adjourned.