HYDERABAD: Continuing their protest against the provisional allocation of judicial officers between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, judges, advocates and judicial employees in the state will launch a week-long strike from Monday.
The Bar Association of High Court and all districts of Telangana state, along with the Telangana Advocates JAC, Telangana Judges Association, State Judicial Employees Association and Telangana Law Officers Association have decided to abstain from work for seven days. The stir is expected to adversely affect the functioning of courts from Monday.
Judicial employees would apply for mass casual leave from June 13. The protesters will wear black badges during lunch recess in the coming days.
An emergency meeting of advocates and judges in Telangana held at the Bar Association hall on City Civil Court premises on Sunday decided to launch the agitation. The meeting also decided to take out a ‘Chalo High Court March’ on June 13, protesting the ‘unlawful decisions’ of the Acting Chief Justice on administrative side with respect to provisional allocation of judicial officers.
The members of JAC resolved to represent to the High Court to recall the provisional allocation list of Judicial Officers for both states dated May 3, and to allocate the officers based on their nativity.
“There are several vacancies in Andhra Pradesh but as many as 80 judges have still opted for Telangana. Many of them are junior district judges who could be in the future elevated to the High Court,” said T Sriranga Rao, co-convener of Telangana Advocates JAC adding that the impact of the decision would last for the next 20 years.
“The guidelines were framed by the High Court while seeking the nativity of each. Now these guidelines are not being followed,” he charged. Of the 21 judges at the Hyderabad High Court, 18 are natives of Andhra Pradesh and only three are from Telangana, he pointed out.
“Why is there a delay in bifurcation of the High Court? The delay and the unlawful decision are going to stall the opportunities for all High Court employees of Telangana,” he alleged. Further course of action would be decided in a review meeting on June 13.