Agra lawyers angry over VK Singh's claim on HC bench, threaten to gherao PM Modi's residence

Agra, Nov 28: Lawyers here have burnt an effigy of union minister Gen. (retd) V.K. Singh for his reported claim that Agra MP and his cabinet colleague Ram Shankar Katheria had agreed to set up an Allahabad High Court bench in Meerut instead of Agra.

The lawyers Friday threatened to gherao Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence in Delhi on Dec 19 if their demand for a high court bench in Agra, as recommended by the Jaswant Singh Commission, was not met.

The lawyers also demanded Gen. Singh's resignation as the union Minister of State for External Affairs.

Gen. Singh said in Meerut that Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Katheria has agreed to set up the high court bench at Meerut in stead of Agra.

Katheria, meanwhile, has clarified that he was for setting up of the bench in Agra.

Katheria, in a statement, said Gen. Singh's comment was false as he had never talked about the issue with Singh.

A meeting of all the bars in the districts in Agra and Aligarh divisions has been convened to intensify the stir for the bench to be located here.

A three-member commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Jaswant Singh was appointed in 1981 to decide locations of the Allahabad High Court bench.

In its final report in 1985, the commission said: "Taking into consideration the totality of the conditions and circumstances peculiar to Agra, we find ourselves impelled to agree with the aforesaid views of the eminent judges and others that Agra would be a suitable place for the location of the bench."

IANS