Congress, BJP Support Telangana Lawyers' Protests

Extending the Congress party's support to the ongoing agitation of the Telangana advocates and judges, CLP leader K Jana Reddy and TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy demanded that the State government mount pressure on the Centre to initiate steps for the division of the Hyderabad High Court immediately.

Jana Reddy, in a press note, stated that Telangana was being dealt with unfairly in the matter of the High Court's (non) bifurcation, and in the appointment of judges in Telangana due to the inordinate delay in the bifurcation of the High Court.

He urged the Telangana government to withdraw the suspension of the judges and resolve the issue immediately.

Reddy also urged the Centre to approach the Supreme Court to solve the problem of the bifurcation of the High Court.

He said that the Congress would extend its support to the State government in its efforts to solve the problem by approaching the Supreme Court and the Centre.

The Telangana BJP, too, supported the protests of Telangana's judges, and alleged that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao was also equally responsible for the judges' situation in the State, by not acting on time while the provisional list preparation was in process.

Telangana BJP spokesperson Krishna Sagar Rao said that the Governor, in consultation with the Chief Justice of the Hyderabad High Court and the CM, had appointed district judges. What was KCR doing throughout this 5-6 month process, he sought to know. Why did not he not protest when the list was notified in May 2016 by the HC, Rao asked. His protest now was purely political and opportunistic, Rao alleged.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya had called on Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda along with A Narasimha Reddy, Chairman, Bar Council of AP and Telangana, in Delhi today in this regard, a BJP release said.