Imphal lawyers begin indefinite agitation, work stalled
Imphal, Mar 5 : The Imphal bench of Gauhati High Court came to a complete halt today after lawyers stayed away from courtrooms, demanding opening of a separate high court in Manipur before setting up one in Tripura.
The decision to abstain from court was taken yesterday by the general body of the High Court Bar Association, Manipur. The agitation is indefinite and may affect court work tomorrow as well.
“The Centre has decided to open separate high courts for Manipur, Tripura and Meghalaya, which is welcome. However, the Centre is taking steps to open the first one in Tripura. We object to this. Manipur’s high court should either open on the same day as Tripura or first in Manipur,” said N. Umakanta Singh, joint secretary of the bar association.
Law minister M. Veerappa Moily told a delegation of MPs from the Northeast on Wednesday that the Centre had taken an initiative to set up separate high courts for Tripura, Manipur and Meghalaya.
Moily also told the delegation that the high court would be set up first in Tripura and then in Manipur and Meghalaya.
Moily recently inaugurated the high court building in Agartala. The construction of Manipur’s high court complex is now in progress at Mantripukhri, on the outskirts of the city.
The lawyers argued that pending cases were highest in the Imphal bench after Guwahati. Shortage of judges also resulted in piling up of cases.
Manipur has 7,000 cases pending while Tripura has 5,000 pending cases and Meghalaya has 2,000. The principal seat in Guwahati has more than 10,000 pending cases.
Gauhati High Court currently has 21 judges against the sanctioned 24.
“The suspension of court activities made litigants suffer enormously. On an average, about 100 cases were listed in each of the three courts,” the lawyers said.
“It is true that litigants are suffering because of our decision to abstain from court work. However, our agitation is in the interest of the people in Manipur,” a lawyer said.
A delegation of the bar association is planning to meet chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh this evening to highlight their demand.
“We have full confidence in our chief minister and we know that he would fully back us and take up the matter with the Centre,” a spokesman of the bar association said.