Lahore HC closer to west UP cities than Allahabd's, give one closer home: Lawyers

Hundreds of Ghaziabad lawyers Thursday staged a demonstration at the residence of local MP and Union Minister V K Singh and "locked" its gates, demanding a high court bench in western Uttar Pradesh.

The agitating lawyers demand setting up of a high court bench any of the western UP cities, including Meerut, Agra or Saharnpur, saying even the Lahore High Court is closer to these cities than the state's main high court at Allahabad.

They said it would be better to put some of the NCR districts of West UP under the Delhi High Court's jurisdiction.

Ghaziabad Bar Association (GBA) president Anil Pandit said before the 2014 general elections, Singh had promised to work for the four-decade-old demand, but nothing has come out of it.

"That's why we staged the protest at his Ghziabad residence and symbolically locked its gate," said Pandit, ruing that the MP was not at his residence at the time of protest.

The protestors raised slogans against Singh and handed over a memorandum an official at his home, he said.

Explaining the need for an HC bench in western UP, the GBA's former president Sudhir Tyagi said the Allahabad High Court is catering to litigants from 72 out of 80 districts in Uttar Pradesh.

The Lucknow bench of the high court caters to just eight districts around the state capital, he said, adding a high court bench anywhere in the western UP would serve the litigants from at least 22 districts.

"Even the Lahore High Court is closer to Saharanpur than the one at Allahabad," said Tyagi.

The driving distance from Saharanpur to Allahabad is over 800 km, while Lahore is at around 400 km through Wagah border, he added.

It would be better if some of the western UP districts in the National Capital Region, like Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar and Meerut are put under the jurisdiction of the Delhi High Court, he said.

UP's former home minister Baleshwer Tyagi in the Kalyan Singh-led BJP government, said the western UP people gave a landslide victory to the BJP in Centre and the state and the two governments must heed to the masses.

If the demand for a high court bench in western UP is not met in time, it may trigger a movement leading to another bifurcation of the state, he warned.