Telangana:8,000 judicial employees strike work;courts crippled

Around 8,000 employees working in various courts and judicial departments across Telangana today went on an indefinite strike to express solidarity with agitating judges in the state, crippling court work and leaving litigants helpless.
Acting Chief Justice (Dilip Babasaheb Bhosale) and Judges of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad made an appeal to agitating employees and judicial officials to immediately withdraw the "illegal" strike and agitation and resume duties in public interest.
A release issued by the High Court Registrar General also warned that if the strike is not stopped immediately, it may have to consider other options to ensure that the litigants do not suffer.

The employees are seeking withdrawal of the list of provisional allocation of judicial officers between AP and Telangana and High Court bifurcation, among other demands.
All India Judicial Employees Association General Secretary B Lakshma Reddy said the employees in all the 10 districts held demonstrations.
"We demand immediate roll back of the provisional allocation list of judges between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. We also demand that the High Court should be bifurcated. The strike will go on until our demands are met," Reddy told PTI.

Reddy and eight other principal members of the association were placed under suspension by the High Court yesterday for allegedly violating the code of conduct.

"The acting Chief Justice and companion judges of the high court of judicature at Hyderabad, once again, make an appeal to all Judicial Officers and judicial employees to withdraw their illegal agitation/strike and start functioning immediately in the larger interest of litigating public, more particularly in the state of Telangana.
"If that does not happen, the High Court, in the larger interest of litigant public in both the states who look to the judiciary with the hope of getting timely justice, may have to consider other options to ensure that the litigant public do not suffer," the High Court release said.

The High Court has suspended 11 judicial officers on disciplinary grounds during the past four days.
Reddy said their demands include revoking the suspension
orders on 11 judges and filling up vacant posts in various courts.
Meanwhile, the Telangana legal fraternity today held a 'maha dharna' at Indira Park seeking immediate bifurcation of the existing High Court, recall of provisional list of allocation pertaining to judicial officers and revocation of the suspensions.
(Reopens BOM10)
Reacting to the High Court Registrar General's statement, Telangana High Court Advocates Association said: "The press release issued by the Registrar General of High Court on behalf of the Acting Chief Justice is noted.

"It is the High Court which is responsible for the present situation and solely responsible for the crisis in the judiciary and for inconvenience to litigant public".
The advocates' body urged the High Court to recall the provisional allocation of the list and revoke suspension of judicial officers and the staff, saying they will definitely consider withdrawing the strike if these measures are taken.
In a separate statement, Telangana Advocates Joint Action Committee and other agitating bodies said they have passed a resolution to organise "Chalo Delhi" programme during the upcoming Parliament session to voice their demands.
Around 10,000 advocates from 10 districts of Telangana, including 91 bar association presidents, participated in the "maha dharna" or mega sit-in protest. Leaders from various social organisations and political parties, including Congress, TRS, BJP and MIM among others attended the gathering.