Bhagalpur lawyers’ dharna for HC bench enters 101st day

Bhagalpur: The long-pending demand for setting up a high court Bench or circuit bench in Bhagalpur has once again come into focus as lawyers and social activists under the banner of Uchcha Nyayalaya Sangharsh Samiti (UNSS) continued their dharna and demonstrations for the 101st consecutive day on Thursday, highlighting a 59-year-old issue that has remained unresolved since 1967 despite repeated representations.The lawyers attribute the non-fulfillment of their 59-years’ old demand as lack of interest at the state govt level while pursuing the issue with the central govt and appropriate judicial forum. Notably, the lawyers, associated with the District Bar Association (DBA), which was established in 1881, had at first passed a resolution for the HC bench at Bhagalpur on Nov 11, 1967.They said that despite Bhagalpur’s historical role as a judicial centre since 1774, the Union law minister Arjun Ram Meghwal stated in Jan 2024 that new benches can be considered only after recommendations from the Chief Justice of the high court and the CM, adding that such demands are losing relevance due to the expansion of e-courts. The protest is led by the District Bar Association.