Lawyers today did not allow the Mega Lok Adalat to take place here by locking the gates of the district court complex and the collectorate.
The lawyers had yesterday threatened to not allow the Mega Lok Adalat proceedings to take place if the state government does not announce a separate High Court bench in western Uttar Pradesh.
Under the banner of Meerut Bar Association and District Bar Association, the lawyers staged demonstrations and did not allow anybody to enter the court premises.
During the protest, a lawyer even allegedly attempted suicide by dousing himself with petrol. He was somehow rescued by the police.
The Mega Lok Adalat was later held at the Circuit House for one hour.
“Both the state and Central governments have been dilly-dallying with our demand for a separate bench of the HC in western UP. That is why the protest will be intensified now,” said lawyer D D Sharma.
There has been a long-standing demand for a separate bench of the HC in western UP in view of the inconvenience faced by litigants belonging to other regions of the state.
At present, Allahabad High Court has only one additional bench, at Lucknow, which caters to about a dozen districts situated in the vicinity of the state capital.