Bombay High Court Aurangabad Bench Likely To Get New Walkway, Free Wi-fi After Chief Justice Visits To Address Concerns About Court Building

Chief Justice Devendra Upadhyaya of the Bombay High Court in a meeting on Friday assured lawyers practicing in the Aurangabad bench that a new walkway to connect the two court buildings and a mobile tower will soon be constructed along with provision of free wi-fi in the court building.

This meeting was organized to address the lawyers’ protest against the shifting of some benches of the court to a new building about 120 meters away from the old one.

The Advocates Association of the Bombay High Court at Aurangabad boycotted court proceedings for five days as a protest against shifting of some courts to the new building. The boycott was called off on Monday after Chief Justice Upadhyaya decided to visit Aurangabad and discuss solutions to the lawyers’ concerns.

Advocate NL Jadhav, President of the Advocates’ Association, shared details of the oral discussion in the meeting with LiveLaw.

Chief Justice Upadhyaya and five senior judges - Justice RV Ghuge, Justice Mangesh S Patil, Justice VV Kankanwadi, Justice RG Avachat, and Justice NB Suryawanshi attended the meeting along with Jadhav and 24 other representatives of the advocates.

According to a statement by the Advocates’ Association, it demanded that all court activities be conducted in the same building, either the old one or the new one while registrar's office and other offices can function in the other building. A new skywalk for advocates near the judges' skywalk or a covered footpath only for lawyers between the two buildings was sought.

Additionally, the Advocates’ Association also sought more judges for the court and representation from all sections of the society when advocates are being considered for elevation to the bench. They also sought amenities such as free wi-fi, additional parking space, canteens, libraries, bar rooms etc.

According to a statement, in response to the demands put forth by the Advocates Association, the Chief Justice gave the following immediate solutions to address their primary concerns:

1. Construction of a new walkway from the bottom of the staircase between the existing Court Hall numbers 3 and 4 in the old building, along with a protective canopy for shelter.

2. Introduction of video conferencing facilities for hearings from Court Hall No. 13 in the old building.

3. Provision of free Wi-Fi facilities in the old building initially, followed by subsequent arrangements for the new building and lawyers' chambers.

4. Consideration of the feasibility of installing escalators or travellators on the new skywalk.

5. Formation of a building committee comprising the Administrative Judge, other senior judges, and representatives from the Advocates Association to resolve the issues related to the skywalk.

6. Immediate constitution of a Grievance Committee chaired by the Chief Justice.

7. Installation of a new tower to address the cellular network congestion within the court premises.

The Chief Justice also assured the lawyers that the remaining demands and suggestions would be considered for future action, Jadhav told Live Law.

The President of the Advocates' Association remarked that lack of co-ordination between the Bar and the Bench led to a situation where the advocates had to resort to strike.

He commended the unity of the advocates and expressed gratitude towards Chief Justice Upadhyaya and Supreme Court judge Justice BR Gavai for addressing concerns of the advocates practicing in the Aurangabad bench and arriving at an amicable resolution.