The district court lawyers of Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar intensified their stir on Thursday over the demand for a separate branch of the Allahabad High Court in western Uttar Pradesh, disrupting judicial work in the two districts.

On the third day of protests, the lawyers stopped Shalimar Express and called for extending the bandh in western UP till the time their demands are heard. Bike rallies were also arranged at all district centres, disrupting traffic.

Lawyers in both districts feel their demand for a separate High Court branch for western UP has been sidelined by every government in the past 28 years.

Ravindra Kumar, vice-president, Ghaziabad Bar Association, said political parties forget the importance of courts and the money people spend on travelling to fight cases in the Allahabad High Court.

Jitendra Singh Bana, ex-convenor of High court Branch Sangharsh Samiti, Meerut, said the demand for a separate HC branch went back to 1955.

“Then Chief Minister of UP, Dr Sampurnanand, had heard and agreed to the lawyers’ petition. Since then, the state has seen 17 chief ministers, but none has worked on the convenience of the residents of western UP.”

The lawyers said they were protesting for the past three days but lawyers in Allahabad and Lucknow have denied the proposal for a separate High Court branch in Ghaziabad or Dadri.

“Most lawyers are losing business here as clients find it inconvenient to hire a lawyer from Ghaziabad or Noida to fight their cases in Allahabad or Lucknow. Our demand is perfectlyjustified,” P N Singh, senior advocate in Noida court, said.

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