New HC bench in Agra - first increase jurisdiction of Lucknow HC: President OBA

Increasing the territorial jurisdiction of the Lucknow high court is a long-pending demand of lawyers of Lucknow.

The Oudh Bar Association (OBA) of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has requested the Union government to increase the jurisdiction of the Lucknow high court before taking any decision related to the constitution of the new bench of the high court in Agra.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court (HT File Photo)

The Union law minister Kiren Rijiju had recently said that the Centre was considering setting up a new bench of the high court in Agra.

Increasing the territorial jurisdiction of the Lucknow high court is a long-pending demand of lawyers of Lucknow. They have been demanding to bring Bareilly, Moradabad and Kanpur divisions under the Lucknow high court’s jurisdiction.

Even lawyers’ associations of all districts in these three divisions have demanded to change their jurisdiction from Allahabad to Lucknow. The OBA is an apex body of Lucknow high court lawyers.

“The executive committee meeting of the Oudh Bar Association was convened on Monday. We have passed a resolution for increasing the jurisdiction of the Lucknow high court,” said Rakesh Chaudhary, president, OBA.

The meeting was convened after the recent statement of Kiren Rijiju related to the Centre considering setting up a new bench of the high court in Agra.

“The Lucknow high court has the finest infrastructure and the city is centrally located. For litigants of Kanpur, Bareilly and Moradabad divisions it is easy to approach Lucknow as compared to Allahabad,” pointed out Chaudhary.

“A large number of bar associations across the state want their jurisdiction to be shifted to Lucknow from Allahabad. They also want the GST and the Educational Services Tribunal also in Lucknow,” said Amrendra Nath Tripathi, general secretary, OBA.