Lawyers at Allahabad HC abstain from work protesting non-appointment of judges
Prayagraj (PTI): The functioning of the Allahabad High Court was paralysed on Friday after lawyers abstained from judicial work in protest against decreasing strength of judges as well as the proposed Advocates (Amendment) Bill.
The High Court Bar Association (HCBA) on Thursday decided to abstain from judicial work to press their demands.
As per HCBA's resolution, the lawyers assembled at the main gate of the high court on Friday morning and refused to enter the court premises.
HCBA president Anil Tiwari said the sanctioned strength of judges for the Allahabad High Court is 160. However, at present the court has less than half of its sanctioned strength at 55, while 23 judges are working in its Lucknow bench.
Due to insufficient number of judges, the pendency of cases is increasing each passing day as cases are not being taken up for several months, the lawyers' body said.
The HCBA has demanded to not only meet the sanctioned strength of judges, but also an increase in the sanctioned strength to hear the rising number of cases.
The lawyers also protested against the draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill proposed by the Centre, claiming that its provisions are against the interest of the advocates and the autonomy of the bar association.
The government plans to amend the Advocates Act, 1961, by making sweeping changes in the definitions of what a legal practitioner and a law graduate mean.
According to the draft Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2025, a law graduate means a person who has obtained a bachelor's degree in law of three or five years or such other duration as prescribed, by any centre of legal education or university established by law or a college affiliated to any university and recognised by the Bar Council of India.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
TN Assembly elections: Eight-month pregnant homemaker wins Thiru Vi Ka Nagar seat for TVK
Chennai (PTI): Before giving birth, she had already delivered a mandate—a symbol of hope for Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.
Echoing Delhi’s 2013 “common citizen” political churn associated with the rise of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), an eight-month-pregnant homemaker, M R Pallavi, has been elected as an MLA from Chennai’s Thiru Vi Ka Nagar constituency, emerging as one of the notable first-time faces of the Vijay-led TVK in the recently held Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
In the narrow lanes of Thiru Vi Ka Nagar, a steady stream of media personnel has been making their way to Pallavi’s residence—a scene reminiscent of the result day in Delhi when journalists thronged the modest home of Rakhi Birla, who had won from Mangolpuri on an AAP ticket.
Pallavi, 36, a homemaker educated up to class XII, defeated the DMK candidate K S Ravichandran by a margin of 22,333 votes in the reserved Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Assembly constituency.
Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam emerged as the single largest party by winning 108 seats, while DMK and AIADMK got 59 and 47, respectively.
Pallavi’s victory has drawn attention due to her personal circumstances. She campaigned extensively while eight months pregnant, going door-to-door to reach voters.
According to local accounts, she even fainted once during the campaign but continued her outreach.
She has not spoken to the media following her victory, as doctors have advised her to rest. Her husband, Rajesh, briefly recounted her campaign efforts.
A self-professed admirer of actor-turned-politician Vijay, Pallavi joined TVK soon after its formation and is now among its first-time legislators.
Doctors have advised her to be hospitalised around May 20, as she is expecting her second child. Ahead of that, voters in Thiru Vi Ka Nagar have entrusted her with representing them in the state Assembly.
Political observers say the rise of candidates like Pallavi signals a possible shift in Tamil Nadu’s political landscape, with voters backing a new party and candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
