Demand for having a Dharamshala bench of HP high court gains currency

The demand for setting up a Dharamshala bench of Shimla-based Himachal Pradesh High Court gained currency today with state's former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar welcoming present CM Jai Ram Thakur's support to it.

The long-pending demand resurfaced yesterday with Nurpur MLA Rakesh Pathania raising the issue to serve the residents of state's far-flung districts Kangara and Chamba.

With Pathania raising the issue in the ongoing session of the assembly, Chief Minister Thakur expressed his willingness to hold a fresh round of talks with the high court judges and sending a new proposal to the Centre for it.

Welcoming Thakur's willingness to take fresh initiatives on the issue, BJP MP from Kangra, Shanta Kumar today told reporters that it was a long-pending, genuine demand of the people of the area due to the huge distance between state's capital Shimla and its remote areas like Kangra and Chamba.

Kumar said he had discussed the issue also with present Union Law Minister Ravi Shankra Prasad, who too had agreed to the necessity of having a separate high court bench at Dharamshala.

"With the present HP CM too expressing his willingness to have the bench, the demand may soon be fulfilled," he said.

Responding to the demand raised by Patahania, Thakur yesterday said the previous state government too had sent a proposal to the Centre, which had referred the proposal to the high court for its comments.

The high court, however, had rejected the proposal, he said.

As the proposal was not accepted by the high court, it would be more appropriate for the government to first hold consultations with the high court and if it works, we can send a fresh proposal to the Centre," he said.

Earlier, Pathania recalled that earlier governments led by Shanta Kumar, Virbhadra Singh and Prem Kumar Dhumal had all favoured having a high court bench at Dharamshala.

Pathania was joined by independent MLA Hoshiar Singh, who recalled that Shanta Kumar, as chief minister in 1977, had taken an initiative to set up the bench at Dharamshala.

The lawyers of Dharamsala district court too have sat on hunger strikes, boycotted work, took out a rallies several times in and sent memorandums to the state governor in the past for having an HC bench at Dharamshala.