Construction of chambers top agenda for lawyers this year

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 2

A permanent redressal to their long pending demands of the construction of chambers and the parking area for the District and Session courts will remain the top agenda for lawyers in this New Year too.

The issue was highlighted once again on Friday in the 100 years old time-honoured ceremonial meeting held between them and the bench on the first working day of the year where they have asked the state government to facilitate the transfer of land owned by Jalandhar Improvement Trust to the District Bar Association of Jalandhar (DBA) for the construction of lawyers chambers.

Apart from the legal fraternity, Chaudhary Santokh Singh, MP from Jalandhar, and also the member of the DBA was present and honoured on the occassion. According to Karampal Singh Gill, president of the DBA, they have already floated the proposal to the Building Committee of the Punjab and Haryana High Court three months ago, but since the land in question belongs to the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT), it first needs to get transferred to the DBA.

“The Building Committee can only grant work on the land acquired by it either through ownership or through lease,” said Gill.

He further said now, the state government has to take a call on the issue by either offering it free to the DBA or by giving it on lease for some years for the construction of lawyers chambers on it.

The lawyers here were fighting for the new chambers for the past 16 years due to increase in number of lawyers and acute shortage of chambers. Presently, the DBA has around 1,700 members and most of them are sharing the already existing chambers on twin or even on quadruple basis. Also, the condition of the existing chambers has become pathetic and most of them needs urgent repair.

There are at least two foundation stones laid for the purpose within the district courts compound but nothing could come up till date. While one stone was laid by now Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on December 22, 2001 in the presence of MLA Manoranjan Kalia, the second was laid by Captain Amarinder Singh on February 15, 2004 then in his capacity as Chief Minister of Punjab. Apart from Chambers, the DBA also honoured the District Legal Services Authority for winning the Best DLSA in North India consecutively for the second year. Also, at the behest of the District and Sessions Judge Raj Shekhar Attri, the DBA members assured him to hold minimum strikes this year so as to cause less of inconvenience to the people coming from far flung places.