Gonda: Members of the Bar Association, Gonda abstained from judicial work and staged a protest to press for various long-pending demands of the legal fraternity, while also raising concerns over inflation, unemployment, corruption, and the law-and-order situation in Uttar Pradesh.
The protest followed a general body meeting held at the Bar Association library, where advocates expressed dissatisfaction over what they described as the state government’s continued neglect of issues affecting the legal community. Speakers at the meeting stated that since 2014, advocate organizations across Uttar Pradesh have repeatedly demanded the introduction of a stipend for junior advocates, pension benefits for senior lawyers, and the implementation of an Advocate Protection Act to ensure the safety and security of legal professionals.
According to the advocates, despite repeated representations, these demands have yet to be addressed, leading to growing resentment within the legal fraternity.
During the meeting, participants also voiced concerns over rising fuel prices, increasing costs of essential commodities, unemployment, and corruption. They alleged that these issues have adversely affected both advocates and the general public.
Advocates further expressed concern over the state’s law-and-order situation, claiming that incidents involving attacks on lawyers and alleged police excesses have increased in recent years. They urged the government to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of legal professionals and strengthen public confidence in the justice system.
As part of the protest, advocates marched to the Collectorate under the leadership of Bar Association President Ravichandra Tripathi and General Secretary Sunil Kumar Pandey. A memorandum addressed to the Governor of Uttar Pradesh was submitted to the District Magistrate, outlining their demands and seeking government intervention.
A large number of advocates participated in the demonstration, including Rajesh Kanojia, Brij Bihari Srivastava, Bhagwati Prasad Pandey, Alok Shukla, Santoshi Lal Tiwari, Dev Prakash Shukla, Dev Prakash Ojha, Avadhesh Singh, Shrikant Pandey, Vidyaram Shukla, Sudhir Singh, Manoj Kumar Srivastava, Anurag Tiwari, Ravindra Kishore Giri, Sandeep Pandey, and Syed Irshad Ali Rizvi, among hundreds of other lawyers.
The advocates stated that they would continue to pursue their demands through democratic means and urged the government to engage with representatives of the legal fraternity to address their concerns at the earliest.
