Lawyers' strike paralyzes work at Gauhati HC's Imphal bench

 IMPHAL: Work at Gauhati high court's Imphal bench came to a grinding halt on Thursday as lawyers of the bench began an indefinite ceasework in pursuit of their demand to appoint seven judges when a separate HC for Manipur is set up.

This has dealt a blow to thousands of litigants of the state even as there is likelihood of setting up separate high courts for Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya by the Centre within the current month ahead of Parliament's winter session, said the legal fraternity.

High Court Bar Association (HCBA), Manipur, president advocate N Kumarjit Singh said since the Centre is planning to appoint four Judges for the proposed HC in the state, the ceasework has been launched. It is not possible for a full-fledged High HC to be run by only four judges , he added, while demanding that the seven judges should be appointed from eligible members from both bar and bench of the state as they should be given the chance for elevation.

Appointment of judges in the proposed Manipur HC from other states will never be accepted by the association, he said. Earlier chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh had pressed the Centre to set up the proposed HC with a minimum strength of five judges but the plea was turned down, rued Kumarjit. The association's general secretary, Roshni Piba, said they raised the demand with Union law minister Salman Khursid in August this year. As the minister gave a positive remark to the demand, a ceasework strike launched by the association the previous month was suspended, he said. He added that bar members had remained hopeful that the demand would be implemented.

Since the association came to learn that only four judges would be made available in the proposed state HC, the association has been compelled to launch the ceasework strike, he said. He added that the decision to launch the stir followed a meeting of the association convened on Wednesday.

He said the demands would be reiterated to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union law minister and the chief minister.

The association's ex-officio executive member, advocate N Jyotendro, said nearly 7000 cases are pending in the Imphal bench of the Gauhati HC - the second highest figure in NE after Assam.