Telangana Lawyers Boycott Enters 7th Day, HC Tense

In response to the "Chalo High Court" call given by Telangana's advocates in protest against the inordinate delay in the bifurcation of the Hyderabad High Court and against the posting of Andhra Pradesh origin judges in Telangana's courts, the area around the Hyderabad High Court premises remained tense on Monday.

A procession of Telangana lawyers that started from the Nampally criminal court complex was obstructed by the police at the Madina X Roads and near the HC and frisked. Police erected barricades on roads leading to the High Court and allowed in only those lawyers whose cases were to come up for hearing on Monday. The Bar Association of the Telangana High Court immediately lodged a complaint with the Acting Chief Justice against the police action. The agitating advocates themselves staged a rasta roko at the High Court premises, and several sneaked in to obstruct proceedings in the court.

Speaking on the occasion, advocate Ranga Rao said that they did not know whom to approach when injustice was being done to the judiciary itself. He said that about 130 officers of Andhra nativity were allotted to Telangana after they exercised their option. He also alleged that advocates and judges belonging to AP Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's community were being appointed to the High Court even after the bifurcation of the united State. If the situation remained unchanged, the Telangana advocates' union would be constrained to lock the court halls being presided over by Andhra judges, he warned.

The lawyers of Nizamabad and Warangal also locked the courts in their areas in support of their demands.

Meanwhile, the judicial employees have decided to intensify the protest by going on strike from July 1. They served a strike notice on the Hyderabad High Court Registrar.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner Mahender Reddy said that no permission was given for the "Chalo High Court" march. The police had banned processions around the High Court to foil any protests.