While M J Jhala, civil judge (senior division), Bhuj, has been sent on compulsory retirement from December 11 last year, K B Mehta, civil judge (senior division), Gondal, was sent on retirement from this January 16. The decision was taken after a two-judge disciplinary committee of the High Court found the judges guilty of corruption charges. The decision is based on the report of departmental inquiry. Besides, L R Pathan, assistant Judge, Junagadh, has also been sent on retirement from January 5. Pathan was sent on retirement by invoking the provisions of the Bombay Civil Services Rules. Also, J K Thoria, civil judge (junior division), Mandvi, has been retired by not extending his tenure to 60 years.

After the disciplinary committee gives its decision, the final course of action will be taken on important issues. The High Court disciplinarycommittee comprises Justice Rajesh Balia and Justice Kundan Singh.Advocates' rally: As part of their indefinite strike called for shifting the Criminal Court at Gheekanta to the former High Court premises at Navrangpura, advocates belonging to the Ahmedabad Criminal Court Bar Association took out a rally in the Gheekanta Court compound on Tuesday. Nearly 1,500 advocates associated with the Bar will be supporting the strike, which, according to Ahmedabad Criminal Court Bar Association president Hiralal Gupta, will affect work on nearly 5,000 cases. The strike began on February 1. Gupta said the delegation representing the Bar met Urban Development Minister Kaushik Patel, who is directly involved with the working of all the municipal corporations, and submitted a memorandum. The Ahmedabad District Bar Association has also supported the Criminal Court Bar Association in their demand.

The District Court Bar Association, meanwhile, is demanding that they be given Courts No. 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 at the MirzapurCourt. While Court No. 5 is currently occupied by the Metropolitan Magistrate the Bar wants it vacated - the other courts are under construction and is likely to be completed soon. The Ahmedabad District Bar Association has also gone on a three-day strike.

The Bars have also demanded that construction on a new judicial complex at the Gheekanta compound, near Old Civil Hospital, be immediately started to ease the pressure on advocates, litigants and staff arising out of paucity of space in the present compound. Members of the Bar allege that paperwork on the would-be judicial complex had been completed in 1983 itself but the government had failed to implement it.

However, the Bar assured that `urgent work' is being attended to by the advocates, without their black coats on as a mark of protest.