Advocates' agitation intensifies, judge resigns

The ongoing agitation by Telangana advocates demanding 42 per cent reservation for the region in law officers posts intensified on Friday paralysing the functioning of the Andhra Pradesh High Court for the fourth consecutive day.

Several lawyers were arrested and whisked away by the police when they took out a rally and tried to barge into the High Court premises despite the apex court in the state prohibiting all agitations, meetings and assembly of people on its premises.

Following this, the Joint action Committee of Osmania University students took out a protest rally and called for a bandh of educational institutions on Saturday.

The advocates agitation also led to the resignation of Justice CV Nagarjuna Reddy, who was pained by the unruly behaviour of the agitating lawyers in a court room on Thursday afternoon.

“I am pained to see the anti-social elements entering the sacred court and hurling abuses against judiciary. I have decided to resign because of my inability to protect the institution,” Justice Reddy stated in his resignation letter sent to the Chief Justice Nisar Ahmed Kakru.

The Chief Justice, however, did not accept the resignation and advised Justice Reddy to withdraw the letter. Chief Minister, K Rosaiah, also requested Justice Reddy to withdraw his resignation. Meanwhile, in the wee hours of today, the police forcibly removed three advocates, who were on an indefinite past inside the court premises.

The state has set up a three-member ministerial committee to look into the lawyers’ demand and has invited them for talks.