Ajit Singh meets Law Min for Allahabad HC bench in west UP

NEW DELHI: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh today met Law Minister Kapil Sibal regarding setting up a bench of the Allahabad High Court in western Uttar Pradesh.

"Lawyers have been agitating for a separate bench of the Allahabad High Court in western UP for 20 years. Today, we had come to ask him (Sibal) what should be done," Singh said after meeting Sibal.

He said the issue was also brought up before former Law Minister Ashwani Kumar in December last year.

The demand assumes relevance as 14 lakh cases are pending in the High Court and most of them are from western Uttar Pradesh, Singh said.

Expressing support for the demand, Sibal said UP was a big state and the demand for a bench of the Allahabad High Court in western Uttar Pradesh was a long-standing one.

"If there is a bench in western UP, litigants won't have to travel to Allahabad for their cases. Congress also wants to have bench there," he said.

Sibal said he will discuss the matter with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Chief Justice of High Court.

At present, the Allahabad High Court has a bench in Lucknow.

Asked about termination of telegram services from July 16, the Law Minister said it would be an "emotional" moment, as telegram was a fast mode of communication when there were no options like the internet.

"In our young days, telegrams used come in an emergency only. I think we will have to preserve the last telegram in the museum," Sibal said.