AP High Court bifurcation likely within two weeks as lawyers boycott trial courts, High Court ups security

More than eight months after the creation of Telangana, it appears that the fledgling State shall soon be announcing the establishment of its own High Court. This comes at a time when the trial courts of Hyderabad have been virtually shut down for the last two weeks, and Chief Justice Sengupta (pictured) tightening the security around the High Court..This Saturday, members from seven bar associations of Andhra Pradesh met at Visakhapatnam and passed a resolution requesting the State Government to expedite the bifurcation of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad. Ever since the division of the State, lawyers have been demanding the establishment of a separate High Court..And these lawyers are finding support from their counterparts in Telangana..For the past two weeks, there has been a complete boycott of trial courts in the Telangana region. The boycott has also spread to the trial courts of Hyderabad and Rangareddy district, where only urgent matters such as bail pleas have been taken up. Their primary grievance appears to be the conducting of the junior civil judges examination to be held on March 8 this year. The said examinations are for posts situated in both Telangana and Andhra, leading some to worry that more candidates from one state may clear the exam..In fact, the government of Telangana had even approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the examination, a relief that has been denied..Although the exam may be the most recent catalyst, the demand for bifurcation is hardly a new one. Nor is it restricted to only the trial courts. A few weeks ago, lawyers tried to boycott proceedings in the High Court as well. However, Chief Justice Sengupta came down heavily, directing that only lawyers whose matters are listed on that day be allowed to enter the courtrooms. Lawyers in the High Court also say that security has been tightened across the board, and there has been an increase in the number of police personnel in the High Court premises..It would appear that the only way out of the deadlock is for a formal bifurcation to take place. In fact, the division of the two states has been marred by poor planning, and ad-hocism resulting from the vaguely drafted law itself. The repercussions are seen across various sectors, with the government of the two states bickering over the distribution of electricity and sharing of water..According to a source involved in the movement, the government is likely to announce the formal bifurcation within two weeks time. Of course, a formal notification is only the first step towards the establishment of a High Court; next comes establishing the infrastructure and buidling human resources. The two governments will also have to decide on the division of the current High Court Bench, a process that is likely to come with its own set of problems.