In all, 37 advocates belonging to different associations and practising in the High Court and other city courts were arrested for violating prohibitory orders and shouting slogans demanding that a separate High Court for Telangana be set up immediately.
The struggle for a separate High Court, that has been on for a while now, has been gathering steam over the past few weeks. On Friday, advocates came in batches and on behalf of different organisations, including the Telangana Advocates Joint Action Committee and Telangana High Court Sadhana Samithi.
Because advocates had given a ‘Chalo High Court’ call on Friday and expressed their desire to submit a memorandum to the Chief Justice, the police had laid a heavy security screen in and around the High Court here. For the past 11 days, ever since an agitating advocate hurled an egg in the direction of the Judge in one of the lower courts, prohibitory orders under Section 144 were clamped.
The agitators earlier took out a rally from the city Civil Court in Purani Haveli towards the High Court. When advocates started shouting slogans, the police, led by Additional Commissioner (Law & Order), Anjani Kumar, told them that it was prohibited on the High Court campus. When they wanted to meet the Chief Justice, they were told that only two members would be allowed, against their wish that five of them should be in the delegation.
As they started shouting slogans again, they were arrested and taken to the Dabeerpura police station, cases were registered against them for violation of prohibitory orders and for wrongful restraint of officials on duty. Later, they were released on bail.
