Protesting Mumbai lawyers body calls off chain hunger strike after assurance from Bombay HC Chief Justice

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Protesting Mumbai lawyers on Friday called off its chain hunger strike after Bombay High Court's Chief Justice's assurances.

A lawyers' association called off its strike after Chief Justice assured them that no further shifting of courts from the main building at Fort will happen.

The members of the Bombay City Civil and Sessions Court Bar Association have been staging protests against the transfer of civil and sessions courts from the main branch in Fort to Mazgaon. So far, eight courts have been transferred. A total of 65 courts operate from the Fort branch.

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The protesting Mumbai lawyers have been on a chain hunger strike since the past five days. There

On Thursday, they met Bombay High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and presented their concerns before him.

The chief justice assured them that no courts will be transferred further, a press note issued by the Mumbai lawyers association said.

Justice Upadhyaya assured the advocates that they will be consulted and their concerns will be heard before the construction of any court building, and other issues pertaining to infrastructure and rights of advocates, it said.

"In light of these positive developments and considering all the above discussion with the Bombay High Court Chief Justice, we have decided to postpone/adjourn our chain hunger strike," the association's president, Ravi Jadhav, said on Friday.

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"In the extraordinary general body meeting of the association, it was decided that we will send our proposal and representation to the chief justice and the principal judge. If anything goes against the interest of advocates, we will again fight for justice," he added.

The new 17-storey, centrally air-conditioned Mazgaon court building was inaugurated in April this year. It has been designed to accommodate 21 magistrate courts and 21 city civil and sessions courts. (With inputs from PTI)

However, the bar association is against the transfer of the civil and sessions courts from the main building premises in Kala Ghoda.