Lawyers stage stir to demand completion of court complex

The protesters set a deadline of 15 days to release the required amount, in the absence of which, they warned, of intensifying the protest. They rued that the State government has completely neglected the legal wing, by not keeping its promises.

“It is a shame. The government releases money for the caste-based organisations without any problem, but it is a wonder, why it has failed to release the approved amount for a significant project like the district court complex,” said Bar Association President S P Chengappa.

Addressing the dharna, he clarified that the protest is not against the government or against any particular individual, but against the apathy in providing a rightful claim of the district.

“There are over 20 courts in Mangalore, including the ones retained in the old building and the ones shifted to the MCC building. Advocates should also attend cases in the DC’s court or the AC’s court, even in the consumer’s court and the permanent Lok Adalat. The completion of the court complex will help them in a great way,” he explained.

“Even the judges have become the victims of the system. There are not sufficient number of housing quarters, and even the existing buildings are in a poor condition due to lack of maintenance,” Chengappa added.

“Many people who are in politics and in government, are actually from the legal profession. But they have forgotten their responsibility,” he lamented.

Karnataka Vakilara Parishat member K Narayan Poojary said the district still has a 125-year-old court building which is a British legacy, but even after 60 years of independence, it is unable to get a building of its own. He urged the government to take steps to shift at least some of the courts from the MCC building to the partially completed complex.