Guj HC Adv Assn Gives 3-Day Ultimatum To Centre To Appoint HC Judges; Writes To PM, Law Min

The Gujarat High Court Advocates Association has written to the Prime Minister and the Law Minister giving a three-day ultimatum to the Centre to notify the appointment of judges to the judge-starved Gujarat High Court in three working days or at least start the process of appointment, failing which it will go a protest strike from January 15.

The lawyers' body urged the Prime Minister and the Law Minister to immediately notify appointments in three working days keeping in mind the interest of the ultimate sufferer i.e., the people of Gujarat.

The Gujarat High Court has a sanctioned strength of 52 judges but works with a mere 27 judges.

In a resolution passed in the General Body Meeting of the Association, the lawyers' body said it "very strongly condemns the lethargic and insensitive approach of the Union Government in making appointments to the Hon'ble Gujarat High Court".

"Such a negligent approach of the Union Government reflects its non-committal approach to the independence of the judiciary", it said.

"The Gujarat High Court Advocates Association further resolves that if no appointments or process towards appointments, like age verification etc. is done by 14th January 2019 it decides to abstain from work on 15th January 2019 as a mark of protest," the association said.

"However, Union of India is again requested to avoid the unpleasant and unwarranted situation, and in the larger interest of the people of Gujarat, notify the appointments or at-least send the files to His Excellency the President of India for approval on or before 15th January 2019," said the resolution.

In the recent past, many lawyers' bodies have gone on strike to get the vacancies of judges filled with the ever-rising pendency of cases marring justice delivery system. Lawyers in Karnataka have also gone on a hunger strike after which the Centre notified the appointment of five judges to the high court. Lawyers in Kolkata had also protested the delay in appointment of judges as the Calcutta High Court functioned with less than half the sanctioned strength of 72 judges.