Hyderabad, February 23: The functioning of all the courts, including the High Court, came to a halt today on the first day of the two-day bandh across the Telangana region in protest against the Union government’s decision not to introduce a bill on Telangana in the current budget session of Parliament.
In all lower courts the work was completely affected with advocates boycotting work. In the High Court a group of pro-Telangana advocates displayed placards in support of Telangana at the main gate.
Unlike in the past, when unruly scenes were witnessed inside the High Court, this time advocates were seen pleading with their colleagues to boycott the courts voluntarily.
Disregarding the call for bandh, some advocates turned up while most of the judges started hearing cases but things changed when a group of nearly 40 pro-Telangana advocates walked into different court halls and requested the judges to stop the proceedings for the day.
The made a similar appeal to advocates inside the court halls. By noon all the court halls wore more or less a deserted look.
The agitating lawyers went to courts chaired by justice Rohini, divisional benches chaired by justices Prakash Rao, Durga Prasad, VVS Rao and Ramesh Ranganathan and other court halls. Telangana advocates said that during the boycott several months ago justice CV Nagarjuna Reddy had rejected their plea for coming out of the hall.
But today, advocates said, the same judge retired to his chamber in deference to the request made by pro-Telangana advocates.
–Agencies