Hyderabad, Jun 28 (PTI) : The agitation against provisional allocation of judges between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana intensified today with 200 judicial officers going on mass leave for 15 days protesting the suspension of nine more lower court judges on disciplinary grounds.
Taking a tough stand, the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad suspended nine more lower court judges on disciplinary grounds. The number of judges who have been suspended has now gone up to 11.
Protesting this action, about 200 judicial officers decided to go on mass leave for 15 days from today.
"Nine judges, working in different parts of the state, were today placed under suspension. A committee is looking into the disciplinary issues," official sources told PTI. Yesterday the HC had suspended two judges.
Over 100 judges, under the banner of the Telangana Judges Association, took out a procession on Sunday from Gun Park to Raj Bhavan and submitted a representation to the Governor against the provisional allocation of judicial officers.
Their contention is that judges who hail from (post-bifurcation) Andhra Pradesh have been appointed to courts in Telangana.
The suspension of nine more judges today prompted the Telangana Judges Association to call for an emergency meeting.
"Nearly 200 judges under the aegis of Telangana Judges Association attended the meeting and passed a resolution to proceed on mass leave for 15 days from today," a judicial officer told PTI, adding a resolution demanding immediate withdrawal of the list of allocation of judicial officers was also passed.
The Association members said that no specific reason had been given by the HC for the suspension.
Meanwhile, lawyers affiliated to the Telangana Advocates Joint Action Committee held demonstrations outside the courts across the state.
Police took several lawyers into preventive custody.
Telangana Judges Association also gave a call for `Chalo High Court' and a `High Court Bandh', tomorrow.
As many as 125 judicial officers from Telangana on Sunday had handed their resignations to the president of the Association, authorising him to hand them to the Governor as and when he felt right if the demands were not met.
On June 6, lawyers and judicial employees across Telangana launched an agitation against the provisional allocation of judicial officers.
Telangana Advocates JAC co-convener T Sriranga Rao has said that the High Court did the allocation without taking into consideration the guidelines which it itself had framed in February.
"We have been seeking a fresh list of allocation as per the native district declared by the judicial officers at the time of entry into service," Rao said.