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Recommendation to appoint four Delhi high court lawyers as Allahabad high court judges sparks row
The list of proposed judges is pending for approval with the Supreme Court; Lucknow bench lawyers to boycott work for two days from Friday
Lawyers of the Lucknow bench will boycott work for two days from Friday in protest against the Allahabad high court collegium recommending to the Supreme Court the names of four lawyers, who are practising in the Delhi high court, for elevation as judges of the Allahabad high court. The list is pending for approval with the top court.
Recently, the Allahabad high court collegium recommended names of 16 lawyers to the Supreme Court, including four practising in the Delhi high court, for elevation as judges of the Allahabad high court.
The Oudh Bar Association (OBA) of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court has been opposing any such decision.
OBA president Rakesh Kumar Chaudhary wrote a letter to Chief Justice of India UU Lalit opposing any such recommendation.
The OBA convened an emergency meeting on Thursday evening.
“In the meeting, it was decided to boycott work for two days from Friday in protest against the Allahabad high court collegium’s decision to recommend names of lawyers practising in Delhi high court for elevation to the post of judges of the Allahabad high court,” said Amrendra Nath Tripathi, OBA general secretary.
“While recommending the members from the Bar for elevation, only those persons to be considered who are regularly practising before the high court judicature at Allahabad (sitting both at Allahabad and Lucknow),” said the resolution passed by the OBA.
Rakesh Kumar Chaudhary, president of the OBA, stated that he had recently written a letter to the CJI requesting him not to elevate lawyers practising in the Delhi high court or Supreme Court to the post of judges of the Allahabad high court.
“I, on behalf of the Oudh Bar Association and its members, hope and trust that your Lordship may kindly be pleased not to give any assent or consent for the elevation of advocates practising at Supreme Court to the office of (Allahabad) High Court Judge,” Chaudhary had said in his letter.
“Proposal to elevate those advocates who have never practised in the (Allahabad) high court will not only demoralise hard working advocates of the high court but it would also raise doubt about fairness of the system,” said Chaudhary.
Senior advocates of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court are also against appointment of Supreme Court lawyers of other high courts as judges of the Allahabad high court.
