LSP says yes to rural courts, no to lawyer boycotts

Even as it supported the demand for the location of a High Court bench in the Guntur-Vijayawada area, the Lok Satta Party on Friday faulted lawyers for boycotting courts in support of the demand.

Lawyers who demand a High Court bench to render justice to litigants are themselves inconveniencing litigants by boycotting courts, said Lok Satta Party General Secretaries Katari Srinivasa Rao and V Laxman Balaji.

Talking to media persons, the LSP leaders said the Lok Satta fully supported the demand for decentralization of power. It stood for location not merely of High Court benches but also of State-level offices outside the capital city as in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh.

Even then, it would amount to only partial decentralization.

The Lok Satta leaders pointed out that 90 percent of court cases pertain to disputes in rural areas and location of rural courts alone could render justice to litigants. The Union Government has allocated Rs.1400crore for establishment of rural courts and told the States it would meet the initial cost of Rs.18 lakh for opening a rural court and part of the annual maintenance cost of Rs.6 .4 lakh. 

The Lok Satta leaders said that although party president Jayaprakash Narayan had written to the Chief Minister in April suggesting that the State avail itself of Delhi’s offer, there has been no response.