Judges' desire, lawyers’ ire—Uttarakhand High Court relocation order brings out old wounds

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Nainital: Armed police personnel in riot gear walked through a group of lawyers clad in black in the courtyards of the 19th-century gothic-style Uttarakhand High Court building on 8 May..

When Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000, Dehradun became its temporary capital, while the picturesque Old Secretariat building in Nainital, built in 1900 opposite a garden of blooming flowers and the Naina Peak in its backdrop, became the high court...

They believed that both the brothers (Kumaon and Garhwal) should be offered something to keep them at par with each other, he said.. Rajbeer Singh Bisht, Dehradun bar association secretary, claims that their demand for a bench in Dehradun predates the state itself, originating 42 years ago under the Allahabad High Court...

Their petition also underscores the states historical context, arguing that the high court order unfairly neglected the rationale behind locating the state capital and judiciary in both regions, and would upset the social balance resulting in adverse effect on the Kumaon region...

This sentiment is prevalent among Nainital lawyers, who credit the high courts presence for much of the citys development over the yearswhether its the removal of encroachment, or constant oversight over government contracts for development works, or addressing the parking space issues and street vendors rights...