A week-long relay hunger strike by advocates begins

Bengaluru: On a demand to fill the 62 percent of posts of judges in the High Court of Karnataka, the advocates in the state have started a week-long hunger strike on Monday.

The strike began in front of the golden jubilee gate of the high court building. Former Advocates General B.V. Acharya, Uday Holla, Ravivarma Kumar, and Ashok Haranahalli, and several leading designated senior counsels have joined the protest.

The advocates alleged that the Karnataka High Court has the least number of judges when compared to any other courts in the country. According to the statistics, there are only 24 judges in the Karnataka High Court which is only 38.7 percent of the total sanctioned strength of 62. The delay by the Supreme Court collegiums and the Union government in appointing judges has affected advocates and litigants, with over three lakh cases pending in the High Court.

Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D.V. Sadananda Gowda has assured the advocates that the issue would be discussed with the Union Law Minister and the Prime Minister. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah along with Law Minister T.B. Jayachandra also met the protesters.