BENGALURU: The legal fraternity of Karnataka on Thursday suspended its relay hunger strike that was launched on Monday demanding that the Supreme Court and the Union government fill the vacant posts of judges in the Karnataka High Court.
This comes after they found signs of progress in appointment of judges. The advocates fraternity, involving senior designated advocates, members of Karnataka State Bar Council and the Advocates’ Association of Bengaluru led by its president A P Ranganath launched the relay hunger strike on Monday.
Senior counsels, including B V Acharya, Prof Ravi Varma Kumar, Ashok Harnalli, Y R Sadashivareddy, and others had expressed their solidarity by participating in the strike.
Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda along with Ranganath had met President Ram Nath Kovind here on Tuesday and submitted a representation demanding to clear the names recommended for the judges’ posts pending before him. Even CM Siddaramaiah had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting the crisis in the judiciary in Karnataka owing to lack of judges. Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda also promised of taking up the matter with the Centre.
The Centre issued a notification on Tuesday transferring Justice Dinesh Maheshwari as the Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court. The association has said that it has credible information that the Union government will clear eight names recommended for the judges’ posts in Karnataka High Court soon and hence the strike was called off.
A meeting of senior counsels also resolved to meet Justice Dinesh Maheshwari after he assumes office to apprise him about the necessity of filling the remaining vacant posts, a release issued by the association said. In Karnataka High Court, the strength of judges is 24 as against the sanctioned 62.