THE SUB-ORDINATE courts are stinking, neglected and the working conditions not congenial. This fact was brought to the notice of the chief minister by district judge Shiv Charan Sharma through former advocate general and MP from the Samajwadi Party Virendra Bhatia.
The HT had published a report to this effect with photographs almost one and a half years back on January 8, 2005. It had also carried the anger of the lawyers, staff and the litigants and also the apathetic attitude of the administration.
Nothing has changed, nor has any attempt for a change been made by the administration during this period. This was probably the reason for the outburst of the district judge.
The occasion was the dedication of the Central bar Association library to the public in the civil courts compound on Friday. Bhatia, who was the chief guest, gave a detailed report of what the government had done to improve the working conditions in the civil courts all over the State. He said that chambers had already been provided to lawyers even in small townships and such efforts would be intensified if the government was re-elected in the next assembly elections.President of the Bar Association Shiv Saran Upadhyay explained why the library was being dedicated for the second time (earlier it was dedicated by SC Mishra, national general secretary of the BSP). He said that since Mishra had not fulfilled his promises, he had to switch over to Bhatia. Upadhyay said he was sure Bhatia would do something for the betterment of the lawyers.
However, when district judge Sharma, who was presiding over the function, took over the mike, without mincing words, he said that the government might have done a splendid job in the rest of the State but as far as the State capital’s sub-ordinate courts were concerned, it was a perfect instance of ‘Chirag tale andhera’. The lawyers were still working in primitive conditions. Sharma said the seating conditions of the lawyers were exactly what they were 50 years ago. He asked Bhatia to do something.Bhatia assured him that he would do his best.
{{/usCountry}}However, when district judge Sharma, who was presiding over the function, took over the mike, without mincing words, he said that the government might have done a splendid job in the rest of the State but as far as the State capital’s sub-ordinate courts were concerned, it was a perfect instance of ‘Chirag tale andhera’. The lawyers were still working in primitive conditions. Sharma said the seating conditions of the lawyers were exactly what they were 50 years ago. He asked Bhatia to do something.Bhatia assured him that he would do his best.
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