Lawyers ransack Vadodara court premises over lack of facilities

Lawyers at the newly inaugurated district court in Vadodara have called for an indefinite strike to protest the lack of amenities on the court premises for them as well as to protest the alleged violence against them by cops.

The lawyers were protesting lack of facilities, which soon turned violent with them also ransacking the office of the district judge. Cops had to be called in to handle the violence.

The new court premises, recently inaugurated by CM Vijay Rupani, thrown open on Monday, saw the lawyers gathering in protest against the inadequate facilities. "Since the building was being made we had told all the concerned people that the facilities would prove inadequate. At present the court premises have just four rooms which can at best accommodate 200 lawyers whereas we need to accommodate 3000 lawyers who work here," said Nehal Sutariya, former secretary of Baroda Bar Association.

He added that the court premises was built at a cost of Rs 141 crore but there is no drinking water facility for lawyers. "It is the beginning of summer, how are we to survive if we can't even have drinking water here," said Sutariya. He said a few senior lawyers had gone to the chamber of the district judge to take up the matter. "But the police was soon called and they began to lathicharge us. Three lawyers were injured in the incident" said Sutariya.

LAWLESSNESS

The lawyers blocked roads to mark their protest and police was called to manage the situation. The lawyers have now decided to stay away from work on Tuesday too and have announced an indefinite strike until better facilities are provided.