Lawyers in Kolhapur to go on strike from Mar 25 to Apr 1

The lawyers would boycott the national 'lokadalat', to be held on Sunday (March 17) for their demand of a circuit bench of Bombay High Court in Kolhapur and to express their protest against delay in fulfilment of their demand.

Prashant Chitnis, president of Kolhapur District Bar Association (KDBA) and convenor of Kolhapur Circuit bench joint action committee(JAC), said all lawyers in the city as well as in the district will be absent from daily judicial proceedings in their respective court at tehsil places, from March 25 to April 1 and express their protest against state government and Bombay High court administration for their delay in doing do.

Chitnis said for the last 34 years, lawyers from six districts-- Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Solapur, Ratngiri and Sindhudurg-- have been agitating for setting up a circuit bench in Kolhapur, which was not fulfilled despite the state government sending to the chief justice a no-objection letter, which is necessary for setting up the bench. But High Court chief justice Naresh Patil could not give any firm assurance on their demand of circuit bench.

A meeting of JAC would be held on March 19 in the presence of bar associations presidents of all six district and office-bearers to discuss future action on ongoing agitation for circuit bench, it added.