Blame Shifting Game Of Decision Making On Creation Of High Court Bench In West UP Must End Now

“I often hear the remark that it is useless to try to do anything because the government is all-powerful. But in holding this opinion one also denies the very basis of democracy. If one is a democrat one has to believe that however powerful the government may be, public opinion can ultimately assert itself and compel the Government to submit to that opinion. It is only this faith which can make the working of democratic institutions possible, and as I said in this, lawyers can play a big part.”

It certainly deserves mentioning at the very outset that these most matchless and most invaluable words were penned by none other than one of the eminent legal luminary, legal jurist and legal wizard and so also the most legendary and most distinguished former Bombay High Court Chief Justice late Hon’ble Mr MC Chagla in his most popular and world renowned autobiography titled “Roses In December” who refused to shift to Supreme Court as Judge and still earns the most stupendous and phenomenal distinction of donning the most prestigious post of the Chief Justice of Bombay High Court for 11 years from 1947 to 1958. The billion dollar question is: When will Centre bring the curtains down on the most pressing issue of setting up a High Court Bench in West UP which has been hanging fire for a mind boggling time of more than 80 years of independence? When will Centre go full throttle in ensuring that the creation of a High Court Bench in West UP is done now without any more dilly-dallying on one pretext or the other?

On a broader plane, what must weigh maximum in Centre’s scheme of things is its commitment to ensure that the litigants of West UP gets justice at doorsteps which is possible only by the creation of a High Court Bench in any of the district of West UP at the earliest! The moot question that keeps niggling my mind most of the time is: Why can’t Centre be more flexible in dealing with the Bench issue in West UP? Why has Centre made it a prestige issue?

I will certainly place a large measure of the blame on Centre because it is the Centre which has to take the final call on this as was clearly specified by former CJI Mr Ranjan Gogoi who as the then CJI in November 2018 while listening to a PIL filed by women lawyer KM Chitra on the pressing need for a High Court Bench in West UP and had acknowledged the compelling need for the same! The PIL was dismissed as Mr Gogoi placed the onus of decision making on Centre saying that it was for Centre to decide which Centre must gracefully acknowledge instead of blaming the CM of UP or Governor of UP or Chief Justice of UP which are nothing but most flimsy and false excuses! Against this backdrop, it is totally incomprehensible as to why Centre is not doing anything on it?

What I find even far most atrocious is that even now Centre most shockingly is not ready to open its eyes to see the ground reality! How long will Centre continue to pretend that there is just nothing wrong in depriving West UP with more than 10 crores population from having even a single High Court Bench while most deplorably, despicably and dastardly having just no qualms in approving a High Court itself for just 3 or 3.5 crore people of Telangana and that too 12 years ago in 2014 by PM Mr Narendra Damodardas Modi? How different is BJP from Congress on this? You tell me! I am definitely at a complete loss to comprehend that what is stopping Centre from creating more High Court Benches in big states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan which have only one and so also States like lawless Bihar and Orissa which have none which leaves me scratching my head in utter shock! What is even more confounding to note and rattles me most is to see that Centre takes just no time to create multiple High Court Benches at Dharwad and Gulbarga for just 4 and 8 districts only in 2008 for peaceful States like Karnataka which has a population of just 6 crores which means four crores less than West UP at 10 crores! Still most horrendously we see that Centre has most mercilessly deprived West UP from having even a single High Court Bench leave alone having High Court as we see in Karnataka! This is the real rub!

It is definitely most appalling and most ashaming to note that since last more than 80 years of independence, we have seen that the buck of decision making on creation of a High Court Bench in West UP with more than 10 or 11 crore people and 30 districts has sought to be constantly shifted from one goalpost to another! Adding twist to the tale, we saw how recently Mr Anuj Sharma who is President of Meerut Bar Association and so also Chairman of Central Action Committee comprising of lawyers of 22 districts for creation of a High Court Bench in West UP pointed out that, “We have been pursuing most relentlessly the most legitimate and most compelling demand for High Court Bench in West UP for many decades. People from this region have to travel to Prayagraj for justice, which involves considerable time and expense. If the government says it cannot provide a Bench, the responsibility cannot simply be shifted elsewhere. We will intensify our democratic and legal struggle until the demand is addresses. The delegation of advocates submitted a memorandum to the CM Yogi Adityanath who told them government could not provide a Bench and advised then to approach Supreme Court.” The next meeting of lawyers of 22 districts of West UP will be held at Saharanpur on October 7, 2026 to chalk out an effective strategy to ensure that the creation of a High Court Bench in West UP is made possible at the earliest!

What is going on in this country? Why no one is stepping forward to provide relief to litigants of West UP who have been suffering endlessly due to no Bench and this despite the most irrefutable fact that the population of West UP is more than majority of the States in India and owes for majority of pending cases of Allahabad High Court and contributes maximum to State’s economy only to receive such step-motherly treatment? How long will this blame shifting game on creation of High Court Bench in West UP continue endlessly? Supreme Court in 2018 had said that it was for Centre to decide!

For first time in last 25 years that I have been in Meerut, have I noticed that there is most huge seething tsunami of anger among lawyers of West UP against BJP for so brazenly bulldozing the most legitimate and most pressing demand for a High Court Bench in West UP which has been most unfairly denied since last 80 years of independence while not taking even an year after independence to create a permanent seat of High Court Bench in Lucknow for just 12 districts even though Allahabad High Court is so close to Lucknow. Not only just this much but litigants of 30 districts of West UP and hilly areas of undivided UP attached with not even Lucknow but right uptill Allahabad which falls even far more away than Lucknow from West UP which culminated in partition of UP 26 years ago when many people of hilly areas of undivided UP sacrificed their precious lives as they had to travel thousands of kilometers all the way till Allahabad to seek justice which in itself is the biggest betrayal of Constitution and most merciless butchering of equality as enshrined in Article 14 of Constitution and so also deepest burial of justice and in addition worst mockery of poorest litigants of West UP and hilly areas of undivided UP! At a general body meeting on September 22, 2026, the lawyers of Meerut Bar Association resolved to bar BJP-elected representatives and office-bearers from entering the court complex. It also decided to initiate the withdrawal of vakalatnamas (a written legal document that a client signs to authorize a lawyer or advocate to represent them in a court of law) filed by its members for serving and former BJP representatives in various courts, including MP-MLA courts. Mr Anuj Kumar Sharma who is President of Meerut Bar Association said the decisions followed a meeting between a nine-member delegation and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Mr Parvez Alam who is General Secretary of Meerut Bar Association also expressed his huge disappointment at this fresh unpalatable episode in which MPs and MLAs and senior leaders of BJP maintained a deafening silence and said that lawyers were interrupted while they were speaking by UP CM which really even makes me hang my head in shame! This is definitely most baffling indeed!

What leaves me completely flabbergasted is to see how ruthlessly Centre has most openly chosen to ride roughshod over the most legitimate and compelling demand of High Court Bench in West UP which makes for most depressing reading! How long will Centre keep ensuring that creation of a High Court Bench in West UP remains struck in a rut? What is even more baffling to note is that while Centre did not allow even one High Court Bench in undivided UP even though Justice Jaswant Singh Commission recommended maximum three High Court Benches – a permanent seat in West UP and two Circuit Benches in hilly areas of undivided UP yet not even one created which culminated in partition of Uttar Pradesh 26 years ago as people started huge agitations due to its non-implementation and many sacrificed their precious lives and then same Centre conceded separate Statehood itself named Uttarakhand with population of just about 88 lakh people then and separate High Court and separate Capital – no Punjab and Haryana formula of same High Court and same Capital! If Centre had ensured creation of two Circuit Benches in hilly areas of undivided UP, UP would never have been partitioned! This shows the utter contempt with which Centre has treated West UP and hilly areas of undivided UP until people of hilly areas took to streets and many sacrificed their precious lives! Centre then ensured creation of High Court Bench in Aurangabad as recommended by Justice Jaswant Singh Commission which already had multiple High Court Benches at Nagpur and Panaji and so also at Jalpaiguri in West Bengal and Madurai in Tamil Nadu yet most astoundingly Apex Court never took suo motu cognizance of it nor even now last year when fifth High Court Bench created in Kolhapur in Maharashtra even though Maharashtra population is more than half less than UP and very near to West UP and pending cases even less than West UP!

How long will Centre keep putting Bench issue in West UP back in the box? Why Centre has made an “open and shut” case into an intractable case? The nation belongs, without qualification, to every citizen and right to equality is fundamental right under Article 14 of Constitution then why Centre has conferred only five elite States – Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam and West Bengal to have multiple High Court Benches and on what grounds? What is there in back of my mind always is: Why Centre is so deadly biased? What I am underlining is that Centre’s approach is not just flawed but also completely biased for which Centre cannot be ever given a clean chit! Even Supreme Court has definitely not crowned itself with glory by never taking suo motu cognizance of it!

When a High Court Bench can be created in Ladakh for just 2 districts till March 2026 and increased to 7 from April 2026 which started functioning from September 5, 2026 just like fifth High Court Bench created in Maharashtra at Kolhapur for just 6 districts which started functioning from August 18, 2025 then why West UP with 30 districts have not even a single Bench with more than 10 or 11 crore people which is more than all these five elite States and West UP alone has more pending cases also than all the other States? The point that I am trying to underscore here is: How long will such a most pressing issue be kept in endless limbo by Centre?

The larger question here is: How long will Apex Court keep watching this most open nepotism, worst partiality and blatant discrimination in distribution of High Court Benches in different States and different regions happening right under the nose of judiciary? The worst part is: Neither national press including news channels highlighted it nor Apex Court has ever dared to take suo motu cognizance of it! Eminent and senior advocate and former Judge of Delhi High Court and former Chief Justice of Orissa High Court – Hon’ble Mr Justice (Retd) S Muralidhar very rightly opined that, “If court themselves and their processes turn into sites of oppression, it will undermine the faith of the people in the justice system and its ability to deliver fair and equal justice.” It is an incontrovertible fact that West UP should have been bestowed High Court Bench since 1947 as it owes for majority of pending cases of Allahabad High Court but even as 2047 is fast approaching, we see most disappointingly that Centre appears in just no mood to relent and top court too not taking suo motu cognizance of it while Eastern UP has High Court Bench in Lucknow since July 1948 so close to Allahabad High Court!

The moot question here is: Why Apex Court never steps in to check misuse of unbridled power of Centre to discriminate most mercilessly between different States and different regions in distribution of High Court Benches most mercilessly which is worst butchering of equality as enshrined in Article 14 of Constitution which is a fundamental right? The point that I am trying to underscore here is: How long will such a most pressing issue be kept in limbo by Centre? What hobbles, hackles and harangues my mind is that why Centre is most dead determined never to allow even a single Bench in West UP with more than 10 crore people when it can ensure that States like Karnataka with just 6 crore people have High Court and multiple High Court Benches? The question on everyone lips is: Why 230th Report of Law Commission of India has not been implemented uniformly all across India even after 17 years of its report being submitted?

On a more serious note, common sense dictates that West UP must have two High Court Benches as demanded by ruling party BJP MP Laxmikant Vajpayee in Parliament two times this year in 2026 at Meerut and Agra and so also in 2016 by ruling party former Union Minister Dr Satyapal Singh in Parliament at again Meerut and Agra! Even former PM late Atal Bihari Vajpayee also demanded High Court Bench in West UP at Meerut in 1986 as Leader of Opposition which is all on record! Dr BR Ambedkar had recommended separate Statehood itself for West UP just like former UP CM Sampoornanand in 1955, Mayawati among others! How long will the sword of uncertainty loom large over most pressing issue of creation of a High Court Bench in West UP?

The central question here is: How long will Centre keep discriminating between different States and different regions without any prima facie reason to substantiate it? Today another question is unavoidable: How long will Supreme Court desist from taking suo motu cognizance of this open cheating and most merciless atrocious discrimination perpetrated in distribution of High Courts, High Court Benches and High Court Circuit Benches in different States and different regions with impunity by Centre without ever being taken to task by Apex Court which definitely makes for most depressing reading!

I am completely fed up and most utterly disgusted to see since last 25 years that I have been in Meerut in West UP how the lawyers of West UP have been most relentlessly agitating for the most sacred, most legitimate and most compelling demand for creation of a High Court Bench in West UP but to no avail! The lawyers of West UP went on complete strike for 6 months sacrificing their own livelihood when I just landed in Meerut in 2001 from July to December for creation of a High Court Bench in West UP and again for 6 months in 2014-15 apart from strike every Saturday since last more than 45 years and many times even on Wednesday as we see even now still no action we witness on ground most astoundingly!

It is hard not to conclude that Centre has been most deadly biased and has left no stone unturned to ensure that West UP is deprived from having even a single High Court Bench not even a Circuit Bench while simultaneously not allowing even an year to pass after independence to create a single High Court Bench for whole of undivided UP at Lucknow so close to Allahabad High Court in July 1948 and worst of all attached litigants of 30 districts of West UP and hilly areas of undivided UP with not even Lucknow but right uptill Allahabad! One can safely say that the curtains need to be brought down on this long lingering most pressing issue! Why Centre finds itself in a predicament in an “open and shut” case like this?

It is a matter of supreme irony that the most populated State of India that is Uttar Pradesh which tops the State list with maximum number of pending cases more than 12 lakhs as conceded by President of Allahabad High Court Bar Association – Mr Rakesh Pandey has just one High Court Bench at Lucknow so close to Allahabad in Eastern UP created 78 years ago in July 1948 and West UP which owes for majority of pending cases of Allahabad High Court has not even a single High Court Bench not even a Circuit Bench and not only just this but in addition has been attached with not even Lucknow which falls much earlier but right uptill Allahabad to seek justice which in itself is the biggest betrayal of Constitution, deepest burial of justice and worst mockery of poorest litigants of 30 districts of West UP who have to travel whole night and nearly a day by train about 700 to 800 km on average most shockingly! From a legal standpoint, it is UP which tops the State list in having maximum number of pending cases and so also has maximum population more than 25 crores and here too it is West UP which owes for majority of pending cases of UP and still leave alone High Court or permanent seat of High Court Bench has not even a Circuit Bench as Centre is just not ready to concede most disgracefully! I often find myself battling with a moot question: Why is Centre so hell bent in denying West UP even a single Bench and thwarting all chances of creating even a Circuit Bench most spinelessly without any remorse or regret? How can any sensible person in his right senses ever try to justify such autocratic act?

It is not democratic but is most autocratic that the most populated State of India that is Uttar Pradesh which has maximum number of pending cases among all States even after partition of Uttar Pradesh in November 2000 and still has just one High Court Bench in Lucknow so close to Allahabad High Court for just few districts and nowhere else which is absolutely unbelievable and West UP despite owing for majority of pending cases of Allahabad High Court and contributing maximum to state economy is being accorded most step-motherly treatment by being denied even a single High Court Bench not even a Circuit Bench is most autocratic denial of a High Court Bench to West UP for 80 years after India became independent in 1947 and as if this was not enough attached litigants of 30 districts of West UP with not even Lucknow but right uptill Allahabad to seek justice which is most baffling indeed!

To put it plainly: One is constrained to observe that denying West UP even a single Bench not even a Circuit Bench is the “worst travesty of justice” which puts on dock the whole life of litigants and their families for no fault of others! The irony could not have been more starker and more murkier! It is West UP which ideally should have been vested with High Court itself as majority of the pending cases of Uttar Pradesh are from West UP which is all on record yet what is most astounding to watch is that it has not even a single High Court Bench permanent seat and what is most worst of all is to see that it has not even a single High Court Circuit Bench!

It is known all too well even though many still don’t know that a permanent seat of High Court Bench for Lucknow in Central UP for just very few districts not even in double digits when created way back in July 1948 so close to Allahabad High Court without dishing any frivolous excuses like we have been seeing since last more than five decades for West UP with 30 districts and more than 10 crore people which is maximum districts among all regions of UP and owes for majority of pending cases of Allahabad High Court and as if this was not enough contributes maximum to State’s economy about 75 to 80 percent and the reward it has got is not even a single permanent seat of High Court Bench in West UP nor even a Circuit Bench in West UP! To top it all, the litigants of West UP have been attached with not even Lucknow which falls much earlier but right uptill Allahabad which is 230 km far away from even Lucknow which is biggest betrayal of Constitution, biggest national disgrace and deepest burial of justice and worst mockery of poorest litigants of 30 districts of West UP and hilly areas of undivided UP as long as it formed part of UP which made practically just no sense at all and culminated in most unfortunate partition of Uttar Pradesh 26 years ago as people had to travel thousands of kilometers all the way till Allahabad and even though Justice Jaswant Singh Commission headed by former Supreme Court Judge appointed by Centre itself recommended about 50 years ago two Circuit Benches for hilly areas of undivided UP at Dehradun and Nainital yet not even a single created most atrociously just like a permanent seat of High Court Bench recommended for West UP at Agra yet not even a Circuit Bench created anywhere till date! Only time will tell when the endless wait for even a single High Court Bench in West UP ever end? Former Attorney General of India – Late Soli J Sorabjee had in his capacity as Attorney General had said that, “Centre is empowered to create a High Court Bench in West UP without any recommendation from the Chief Justice or Chief Minister or anyone else in this regard.” Former President of Supreme Court Bar Association MN Krishnamani had very categorically stated that, “Only by the creation of a Bench of High Court in West UP will the people be able to secure justice.”

We saw how Centre gave separate statehood itself with separate High Court at Hyderabad to Telangana with just 3.5 crore people in June 2014 and so also earlier also to many States like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh among others whose population is more than 6 or 7 crore less than West UP and still have separate High Court! Karnataka with just 6 crore people were given two High Court Benches for just 4 and 8 districts at Dharwad and Gulbarga in 2008 itself and now Bench recommended for Mangaluru by State Government for just 3 districts! How long will Centre pat itself on the back that UP which tops state list in having maximum number of pending cases among all the States has just one High Court Bench created 78 years ago so close to Allahabad High Court at Lucknow where it was just not needed at all and nowhere else not even when UP was undivided even though West UP owes for majority of pending cases of Allahabad High Court?

How can Centre gloss over that in a startling revelation, the Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal revealed in July 2026 that while Apex Court had 26 cases pending for more than 30 years, the 25 High Courts together had 80,660 such cases. Most strikingly and most alarmingly, we see that it was disclosed that Allahabad High Court alone accounted for 53,787 cases of them – nearly two out of every three cases pending for over three decades in nation’s High Courts. The figure based on the National Judicial Data Grid as on July 16, 2026 also shows that the Allahabad High Court has the highest overall pendency among all High Courts at 1.22 million cases owing for roughly one-fifth of the total pendency across all 25 High Courts. Of these, 161,000 have been pending for more than 20 years, 488,000 for over 10 years and 730,000 for more than five years. While Allahabad High Court accounts for roughly one-fifth of the total pendency across all 25 High Courts (1.22 million out of 6.47 million cases), it alone houses around 67% of all cases pending for over 30 years, more than one third of cases older than 20 years and about 30% of all cases pending for over a decade. Here too it is West UP which alone owes for majority of pending cases of Allahabad High Court as acknowledged by Justice Jaswant Singh Commission appointed by Centre itself which recommended permanent seat of High Court Bench in West UP yet after 50 years not even a Circuit Bench created anywhere in any of 30 districts of West UP!

The point being made here is that it is Centre which most unscrupulously has been acting as the biggest stumbling block for creation of High Court Bench in West UP on one pretext or the other which has only served to portray it in poor light just like being the biggest litigator has denigrated its reputation. How long will Centre keep sabotaging and keep deferring the most compelling and most legitimate demand for a High Court Bench in West UP on one pretext or the other? Centre’s decision to deprive West UP from having even a single High Court Bench not even a Circuit Bench is bereft of any logic and so the blame lies squarely on shoulders of Centre. For the exclusive benefit and indulgence of my esteemed readers, let me now lay bare that Uttar Pradesh falls in how many regions or economic divisions and districts included in them. They are as follows:-

Western Division (Paschimanchal – 30 districts) – Saharanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Rampur, Budaun, Mathura, Etah, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur, Firozabad, Agra, Mainpuri, Baghpat, Meerut, Amroha, Moradabad, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Hathras, Aligarh, Kannauj, Farrukhabad, Auraiya, Etawah, Kasganj, Hapur, Sambhal and Shamli.

Central Division (Madhyanchal – 10 districts) – Lakhimpur Kheri, Hardoi, Sitapur, Barabanki, Lucknow, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar and Fatehpur.

Bundelkhand Division (7 districts) – Mahoba, Hamirpur, Chitrakoot, Banda, Jalaun, Jhansi and Lalitpur.

Eastern Division (Purvanchal – 28 districts) – Ambedkar Nagar, Ayodhya, Siddharthnagar, Basti, Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Mau, Azamgarh, Ballia, Bhadohi, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Balrampur, Gonda, Chandauli, Shravasti, Bahraich, Sant Kabir Nagar, Sultanpur, Ghazipur, Pratapgarh and Amethi.

(Source: Sam Samayik Ghatna Chakra Uttar Pradesh At A Glance 2026 on page 81 published from Allahabad)

It is as clear as broad daylight that West UP has maximum districts – 30, owes for majority of pending cases of Allahabad High Court and contributes maximum to State’s economy yet the people residing in West UP have been most unfairly deprived from having even a single High Court Bench not even a Circuit Bench! The point being made here is that it is Centre which most unscrupulously has been acting as the biggest stumbling block for creation of High Court Bench in West UP on one pretext or the other which has only served to portray it in poor light. It is also not hidden from anyone that it is Centre which is the biggest litigator in our nation! Going by Centre’s niggardly approach, it is not only hard but also virtually impossible to decipher when Centre will swing into action and address this long lingering issue of High Court Bench in West UP at the earliest. Centre has put itself in a most questionable position by not taking any initiative worth its salt to address this needlessly long lingering issue which is an “open and shut” case!

For my esteemed readers exclusive indulgence, I must bring out here that the Single Judge Bench of Allahabad High Court comprising of Hon’ble Mr Kshitij Shailendra in a most notable judgment titled Radhey Shyam Yadav vs Sri Ashok Nath Tiwari, the District Inspector of Schools in Contempt Application (Civil) No. - 6468 of 2022 that was pronounced recently on May 19, 2026 laments in para 20 with a heavy heart stating that, “In heavily burdened constitutional courts, like our Allahabad High Court, where around 400, 500, 600 and sometimes more than 800 cases are listed every day before every Judge, judicial proceedings may consume considerable time for disposal; sometimes years and sometime decades also. Still people all around may expect such overburdened judges to become ever-working super robots or super computers or super-human beings? If during such pendency, parties are permitted to openly defy operative directions, the administration of justice would descend into chaos and anarchy. The law does not countenance such audacity.” Absolutely right! Why more than half of Judges seat even in Allahabad High Court keep lying vacant when we now see that in Supreme Court Judges strength has been increased and all vacancies have also been filled? Why biggest High Court in not just India, in not just Asia, in not just Asia and Europe but in all over the world with maximum advocates more than 4 lakhs and still High Court Bench only one at Lucknow created nearly 80 years ago so close to Allahabad High Court where there was absolutely just no need for a High Court Bench thus according step motherly treatment and slavish approach towards West UP and hilly areas of undivided UP which culminated in partition of UP 26 years ago in November 2000 and still no action taken for West UP!

Even former eminent Supreme Court Judge – Justice (Retd) Markandey Katju who has been Chief Justice of different High Courts including Allahabad High Court has fully reiterated his open support to the most legitimate demand for a High Court Bench in West UP which is most refreshing to note! It has definitely warmed the innermost cockles of my heart and mind to read that one of the most eminent former Supreme Court Judge Hon’ble Mr Justice Markandey Katju who has himself practiced in Allahabad High Court from 1970 to 1991 with specialization in Taxation, Labour Laws and Writ Petition and is one of the most distinguished jurists that India has ever produced known all across the globe and was also appointed Acting Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court in August 2004 and so also was Chief Justice of Madras High Court in November 2004 and also of Delhi High Court in October 2005 has in a eye-opener blog titled: “The Demand For A Western Bench Of Allahabad HC Is Justified” published on September 24, 2025 in website named “Medium” written most elegantly that, “While I do not approve of blocking roads, I believe that the demand for a bench of the Allahabad High Court in western Uttar Pradesh is fully justified. The reason is simple: litigants of western UP face a huge financial and logistical burden when they are compelled to travel all the way to Allahabad, which is in eastern UP. The Justice Jaswant Singh Committee, after studying the matter in great detail, came to the same conclusion. There are several benches of the Madhya Pradesh High Court and the Bombay High Court. Similarly, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court, which was created in July 2004 when I was Chief Justice of that court, was established for the very same reason: litigants in southern Tamil Nadu found it prohibitively expensive and inconvenient to travel to Chennai in the north. On exactly the same logic, there is no reason why western UP should be denied a bench of the Allahabad High Court.”

It must be asked: How long will this most pressing Bench issue in West UP be held hostage on one pretext or the other? How long will Centre be seen to be sitting on the fence on this most compelling issue? The deeper question is: How long will Centre keep prolonging it needlessly? The need of the hour is to deliver and not dodge!

By any reckoning, Centre needs to remove the albatross from around its neck of West UP cannot have a High Court Bench despite so deserving as was recommended also by Justice Jaswant Singh Commission headed by former Supreme Court Judge appointed by Centre itself who recommended a permanent seat of High Court Bench in West UP about 50 years ago yet not even a single High Court Circuit Bench created in last about 80 years of independence since 1947! How long will Centre feel the luxury to keep such a most pressing issue directly affecting the litigants of 30 districts of West UP in abeyance on one pretext or the other? How long will such a long lingering most pressing issue remain in limbo needlessly and pale into insignificance at the cost of litigants of West UP who suffer most especially those who are very poor?

Truly speaking, the prominent view is that Centre is fully culpable for depriving West UP from having even a single High Court Bench not even a Circuit Bench just like in Purvanchal and Bundelkhand! Centre needs to think hard and deep that why it has so irrationally deprived West UP from having even a single Bench? How long will Centre keep appeasing naysayers who most vehemently oppose the setting up of even a single Bench in West UP for serving their own vested interests?

To say the very least, the denial of even a single High Court Bench to West UP on most flimsy grounds is patently ludicrous! When Centre can create in one go two High Court Benches for Karnataka in 2008 with just 6 crore people at Dharwad and Gulbarga for just 4 and 8 districts then why for West UP with more than 10 crore people and 30 districts we see that it has not even a single High Court Bench nor even a Circuit Bench, to say the very least? This most brutal, brazen, blatant and baseless discrimination must end right now!

Now Karnataka State Government has recommended for creation of Circuit Bench in Mangaluru for just 3 districts but for 30 districts of West UP we saw that UP CM Yogi Adityanath recommended to Allahabad High Court for creation of a High Court Bench in West UP in January 2024 only to withdraw the recommendation the very next day! It is nothing but sheer lack of political will that West UP has been most mercilessly deprived from having even a single Bench not even a Circuit Bench! When more than Rs 42000 crore can be spent straightaway for linking Allahabad to Meerut by Ganga Super Expressway then why the hell can’t a very small amount be spared for creating a High Court Bench in West UP? Mr Parvez Alam who is General Secretary of Meerut Bar Association very rightly pointed out that litigants of West UP will have to spend huge money even by going by road and paying at various toll booths and why can’t a High Court Bench be created in West UP so that the endless woes faced by litigants of West UP are completely addressed?

What I find most distressing, disturbing and denigrating is that the BJP which once flaunted the much vaunted tagline “party with a difference” most pompously which I also believed has proved itself to be biggest carbon copy of Congress in ensuring that big States like UP and Rajasthan are deprived without fail from having multiple High Court Benches and so also Bihar and Orissa from having even a single Bench not even a single Circuit Bench most astoundingly! Why Centre since 1947 till date irrespective of which party is in power in Centre is most dead determined to strictly enforce its one-point agenda – Never allow big States like UP and Rajasthan to have multiple High Court Benches at any cost and so also other big States like lawless Bihar and Orissa from having even a single Bench not even a Circuit Bench? Is this is what is called democratic style of functioning? This is most unfortunately not a figment of imagination but the most unpalatable truth which Indian media never discusses for myriad reasons known best to them which has to be most strongly condemned! The gap between rhetoric and reality remains substantial!

This is akin to UN Security Council which has five permanent members since 1945 till date – USA, UK, Russia, France and China and despite so many changes not even a single nation among the nearly 200 countries as member has been made permanent which is inexplicable despite India staking its claims again and again due to India contributing so much to UN and being the biggest democratic country in world! Similarly we see in India, Centre has taken the most firm resolve to ensure multiple High Court Benches for only five elite States – Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Assam out of 28 States kicking out most deserving States like UP, Rajasthan, Bihar and Orissa even though the route to power in Centre passes maximum through UP and these States as Centre most strongly feel that they just don’t deserve it even though the 230th Report of the Law Commission of India most strongly recommended creation of more High Court Benches in all States not just five elite States as we see most unfortunately right now! India has definitely no moral right to demand a permanent seat in UN Security Council by breaking the exclusive monopoly of 5 big countries without itself breaking most unjustified monopoly of five elite States in having multiple High Court Benches!

It must be definitely asked: With what face Centre gathers the temerity to keep demanding permanent seat of UN Security Council since last so many decades to break unfettered monopoly of five elite nations but is itself just not ready to break most unjustified monopoly of five elite States in having multiple High Court Benches most horrendously even though West UP alone has more pending cases than all these five elite States which further exposes the dark underbelly and most deprecated fallacy of leadership decapitation in Centre and those big States like UP and Rajasthan which have just one Bench and so also States like Bihar and Orissa which have none! I cannot stress enough that for political reasons and vested interests, West UP has been most tyrannically deprived from having even a single High Court Bench not even a Circuit Bench for so long? It is difficult to gauge why is Centre so unapologetic in denying West UP even a single Bench for so long while not taking even an year to create a Bench so close to Allahabad at Lucknow where there was just no need for a Bench and that too permanent while depriving West UP from having even a single Circuit Bench most shamelessly even though Justice Jaswant Singh Commission headed by former Supreme Court Justice appointed by Centre itself recommended permanent seat of High Court Bench in West UP about 50 years ago!

If one look at the whole picture, we see that it reflects a far deeper malaise which now no more can be hidden from public gaze any longer. How long will Centre keep downplaying and stonewalling the most legitimate and compelling demand for a High Court Bench in West UP and so also in Orissa and Bihar and some other States? This is clearly a stark reminder of how much Centre discriminates most ruthlessly yet is never held accountable even by top court! Why Apex Court never takes Centre to task for it?

Does it make any sense that the most populated State of India with maximum number of pending cases that is Uttar Pradesh has only one High Court Bench in Lucknow so close to Allahabad created in July 1948 and nowhere else even in September 2026? It is most shocking that UP which is among the largest States, has maximum population – more than 26 crore as CM Yogi Adityanath and so also PM Narendra Modi always so very proudly claims which means more than even Pakistan at 25 crores, maximum districts – 76, maximum constituencies – 80, maximum MPs – 80, maximum MLAs – 404, maximum PM including Narendra Modi who represents Varanasi as an MP, maximum pending cases – more than 11 lakh in Allahabad High Court and here too West UP accounts for more than half of pending cases as noted by Justice Jaswant Commission about 57% and now after so many decades the percentage of pending cases in West UP has gone substantially much higher with Dr Laxmi Kant Vajpayee who is Rajya Sabha MP of BJP while demanding two High Court Benches in Parliament for West UP at Meerut and Agra pointing out that West UP owes for 63 percent of pending cases of UP and two High Court Benches at Gorakhpur and Varanasi, maximum cases in lower courts about to touch 1 crore, maximum Judges both in High Court – 160 and also in lower courts, maximum vacancies of Judges both in High Court and also in lower courts, maximum members in UP Bar Council more than 3 lakh and which is also the largest Bar Council in the world as claimed in the website itself of UP Bar Council yet the former Chairman of UP Bar Council – Darvesh Yadav who was the first woman to get appointed to this post was murdered cold blooded right in court premises in Agra which is again in West UP on June 12, 2019 by pumping bullets on her head and stomach, maximum poverty, maximum villages more than one lakh the exact number being 107040, maximum gram panchayats at 74626, maximum fake encounters killings, maximum official encounters more than 15,000 from 2017 till date, maximum custody killings, maximum dowry cases, maximum bride burning cases, maximum cases of human rights violations, maximum robberies, maximum dacoities, maximum cases of crime, loot, arson and riots and here too West UP tops with Saharanpur riots, Meerut riots, Muzaffarnagar riots tarnishing our international reputation to the extent that former UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon termed UP as “crime and rape capital” of India and just recently we see after Bahraich even Fatehpur and now most recently even Bareilly in West UP coming in news for shameless communal disturbances most recently, maximum undertrials in all age groups and what not yet Centre till now in July 2026 from July 1948 when a Bench was created in Lucknow which is so close to Allahabad and where it was just not needed at all is not prepared to create even a single bench for not just West UP but for the entire UP nor even ready to attach 30 districts of West UP with more than 10 crore population which is more than majority of States with Lucknow which falls earlier than Allahabad! Not only just this, Uttar Pradesh has maximum number of airports – 21 and maximum international airports – 5 at Lucknow, Kushinagar, Ayodhya, Varanasi and Noida in West UP still only one High Court Bench at Lucknow so close to Allahabad High Court and litigants of West UP attached with not even Lucknow but right uptill Allahabad so far away most stupidly and most atrociously! For foreigners maximum facility of maximum airports in Uttar Pradesh, maximum super expressways and bullet rains also shall start soon but for litigants of West UP, Purvanchal and Bundelkhand not even a single High Court Bench just like we see in Bihar and Orissa and many other States by which Indians will gain most and not foreigners! How can Centre ever deny, distort or dispute such most irrefutable facts that stare us in face since last 80 years?

Practically speaking, the dire need for a High Court Bench in West UP cannot be overstated! Perhaps the most telling part is that the only lesson Centre is learning from history on this count is that it is refusing to learn any lesson even after partition of UP in 2000 on this very ground of litigants encountering huge problems in travelling all the way till Allahabad most foolishly! Why is Centre quavering in an “open and shut” case like setting up of a High Court Bench in West UP? The High Court or Bench of 8 different States like Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana among others are closer to West UP as compared to Allahabad High Court and even Lahore High Court in Pakistan is closer to West UP as compared to Allahabad High Court!

It is well worth asking: How long will Centre deprive West UP from having even a single Bench most shamelessly on most flimsy grounds? The most distressing stark truth is: Centre is just not ready to budge on this and national media is least bothered to ever give it any coverage and Apex Court is just not ready to take suo motu cognizance of it! This is the nub of the matter!

The truth of the matter is: Centre has most unabashedly perpetrated such merciless, most absurd discrimination which I most strongly feel is the biggest national disgrace! Many decades ago, UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon while in office had slammed UP as “rape and crime capital” of India still why UP has just one High Court Bench so close to Allahabad High Court and nowhere else! It must be stated unhesitatingly that Centre has been most biased in discriminating when it comes to big States like UP and Rajasthan which have just one and so also other big States like Orissa and Bihar which have none!

It must be asked: Why 230th Report of Law Commission of India which recommended creation of High Court Benches in different States not implemented even after 17 years of its recommendation? Why Apex Court has never held Centre accountable for it? Why national news channels never debate on it? Why most of national newspapers fight shy to publish any editorial on this hot-button issue which will portray Centre in poor spotlight as it is primarily culpable for this most atrocious discrimination perpetrated with impunity by not doing anything worthwhile to end it or even contain it? Why blind appeasement of Centre on this count by national news channels and prominent newspapers by never highlighting it adequately and effectively?

Let me put it this way: It is high time that Apex Court takes suo motu cognizance of this most third rated merciless discrimination and hold Centre accountable for it! Why only five elite States – Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal have multiple High Court Benches and on what basis? Except Maharashtra, the population of all States which have multiple High Court Benches is less than even West UP and still deprived from having even a single High Court Bench not even a Circuit Bench! What is happening in our country?

Why is Centre also so infatuated with only few elite five States being granted multiple High Court Benches and on what basis? Why other States are being overlooked for having multiple High Court Benches? Why is Apex Court also never taking Centre to task for such an open discrimination that has been perpetrated in judiciary itself?

The Aurangabad Bench of Bombay High Court has jurisdiction now over just nine districts and initially just seven : Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Beed, Dhule, Jalna, Jalgaon, Latur, Nanded, Osmanabad and Parbhani and when created the number of districts were even less than now just seven! It serves the Marathwada region of Maharashtra and created in 1980s as recommended by Justice Jaswant Singh Commission which recommended maximum 3 High Court Benches for undivided UP including permanent Bench for West UP yet not one created culminating in partition of Uttar Pradesh 25 years ago! Also, the Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court has territorial jurisdiction over just ten districts of Nagpur, Akola, Amravati, Bhandara, Buldhana, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Wardha and Yavatmal. Panaji Bench of Bombay High Court has jurisdiction over mere two districts – North Goa and South Goa. The Andhra Pradesh High Court Bench at Kurnool has jurisdiction over just eight districts of Rayalaseema. The Gwalior Bench of Madhya Pradesh (MP) High Court covers only five districts – Gwalior, Shivpuri, Guna, Datia and Ashoknagar. The Indore Bench of MP High Court has jurisdiction over 13 districts of Alirajpur, Barwani, Dewas, Dhar, Indore, Jhabua, Mandsaur, Neemuch, Ratlam, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Ujjain and Khargone (West Nimar). The Jalpaiguri Bench of Calcutta High Court in West Bengal has jurisdiction over only four districts – Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar. Port Blair High Court Bench of Calcutta High Court has jurisdiction not over a district but only Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Gulbarga High Court Bench of Karnataka High Court had initially jurisdiction over just four districts of Bidar, Bijapur, Gulbarga (Kalaburagi) and Raichur and then expanded to cover six districts including Yadgir and Bellary. The Dharwad Bench of Karnataka High Court has jurisdiction over just 8 districts of Bagalkot, Dharwad, Bellary, Belgaum, Gadag, Haveri, Uttara Kannada (Karwar) and Koppal districts.

It goes without saying that how much discrimination Centre is perpetrating most ruthlessly and most mercilessly is quite palpable from the most irrefutable fact that the total population of Karnataka is just 6 crore and it has separate High Court and multiple High Court Benches just like Assam with just 4 crore people and Madhya Pradesh with just 7 crore people and West UP with more than 10 crore people is being denied even a single High Court Circuit Bench! The population of Maharashtra is less than half of Uttar Pradesh’s population yet has so many High Court Benches! It is known all too well that Dr BR Ambedkar who is the key architect of Constitution had himself recommended separate Statehood itself for West UP and separate High Court and so also Justice Jaswant Singh Commission appointed by Centre itself had had recommended a separate High Court Bench for West UP only to be dumped by Centre in the nearest backyard without any remorse or regret and without assigning any credible reason!

It must be also asked: Why only a handful of elite States like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Karnataka and Assam alone have multiple High Court Benches even though 230th Report of Law Commission of India headed by former Supreme Court Judge – Late Dr AR Lakshmanan had strongly recommended multiple High Court Benches for States most uniformly and on what basis? What purpose does it serve? Why this disparity and discrimination at all? Who is really master minding such an atrocious, authoritarian, arbitrary, abysmal and arrogant, dastardly, dangerous third-rated discrimination between different States and different regions like we see in UP it is only Eastern UP which has both High Court at Allahabad and a High Court Bench in Lucknow? So also, Andhra Pradesh with just 7 crore population was partitioned in 2014 and Andhra Pradesh left with just 4 crore people who has created High Court Bench in Kurnool and High Court in Amaravati and one more at Vishakhapatnam is under consideration and Telangana with just 3 crore people with High Court at Hyderabad! But West UP with more than 10 crore people and owing for majority of pending cases of Allahabad High Court is being denied even a Circuit Bench for so long!

It is jaw dropping to note how irrationally Centre has deprived West UP from having even a single Bench not even a Circuit Bench! Let’s face it: West UP deserved High Court Bench since 1947 but even as 2047 is approaching fast, we see till now no light in the tunnel which has turned out to be unending so far! Why can’t Centre come out of its comfort zone and take a bold decision in this regard? The relentless demand for a Bench in West UP has not wilted despite unrelenting pressure from various powerful vested lobby to pour cold water on this most pressing need on one pretext or the other most callously which has to be most strongly deprecated!

It merits just no reiteration that Centre has its task cut out and it now needs to act most promptly in this regard! Centre should have resolved it in careful, coordinated and calibrated way! Deep down, Centre needs to seriously introspect that why only this key issue has lingered on inordinately for so long? What is inarguable is the most irrefutable fact that Centre has most unfairly deprived West UP from having even a single Circuit Bench even though former PM Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself demanded High Court Bench in Meerut 40 years ago inside Parliament just like former Union Minister Dr Satyapal Singh and Dr Lakshmikant Vajpayee and still no Bench! Going by Centre’s poor past track record in this regard of not doing anything to break the deadlock, it does not inspire confidence!

Bluntly put: Why Centre has a deep disdain for big States like UP and Rajasthan from having multiple High Court Benches and other big States like lawless Bihar and Orissa from having even a single Bench is most baffling and truly incomprehensible indeed? What is definitely very rightly being increasingly called into question is Centre’s most partial approach on this key issue which is most gut wrenching to see because even Apex Court has not done anything tangible on this score and this is what I find most troubling which makes for most depressing reading and depicts the sorry state of affairs in our country!

Of course, what is going on in India since last about 80 years in distribution of High Courts and High Court Benches and High Court Circuit Benches in different States and different regions does not represent by any reckoning a true democratic system rather it symbolizes horrendous dictatorship of the highest order worst than what even Hitler did without being held accountable in any manner as we saw when hilly areas of undivided UP for whom Justice Jaswant Singh Commission headed by former Supreme Court Judge appointed by Centre itself had recommended two High Court Circuit Benches in Dehradun and Nainital in early 1980s yet not one created and when people agitated with many sacrificing their invaluable lives then the same Centre bestowed not just separate Statehood itself but separate High Court and separate Capital also and no Punjab and Haryana formula of same High Court and same Capital! Does Centre want this to happen in West UP also as Justice Jaswant Singh Commission recommended permanent seat of High Court Bench in West UP yet not even a single High Court Circuit Bench created even though on its recommendations High Court Benches were created in other States like Maharashtra at Aurangabad which already had multiple High Court Benches? Why Supreme Court kept a deafening silence on non implementation of Justice Jaswant Singh Commission report? Even Mayawati herself as Chief Minister had recommended creation of West UP as separate State to be named “Harit Pradesh” just like DR BR Ambedkar and many other Chief Minister like Sampoornanand way back in 1955 which is all on record but Centre acted as the biggest stumbling block!

Why is Centre so rigid in not allowing even a single Bench in any place other than at Lucknow created when Jawaharlal Nehru was PM in July 1948 where it was just not needed at all as it is so close to Allahabad High Court? To borrow JL Nehru’s words himself, “Anything rigid and permanent stops the nation’s growth.” How can Centre ever dare to gloss over or discard what Nehru had himself said so plainly? It merits just no reiteration that too much rigidity ossify into permanent obstacles.

By all accounts, the creation of a High Court Bench in West UP, Bihar, Rajasthan, Orissa and other needy regions and States will undoubtedly be a watershed moment when they will be created but till date when 100 years of independence is standing virtually at the doorsteps, Centre so far is still in just no mood to relent most astoundingly and we still see no end of the dark tunnel even after completion of nearly 80 years of independence for which Centre is squarely culpable! Let me reiterate: It is now high time that Centre immediately stops dishing most flimsy excuses for not creating a High Court Bench in big States like UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and Orissa on one pretext or the other! At the risk of repetition, it must be said that Centre cannot and should not put this most pressing issue in creation of High Court Benches in cold storage any longer affecting so many regions and States most spinelessly! Tersely put, it definitely brooks no more delay any longer now and must be definitely addressed at the earliest in true democratic spirit by creating High Court Benches in all those regions and States wherever they are incumbent for litigants to get justice at doorsteps!

To sum it up, Centre has to deliver now! How can Centre abdicate its constitutional duty to ensure that the worst discrimination that has been perpetrated in distribution of High Court Benches in different States and different regions is brought to an end altogether? There is still a sliver of hope among people that Centre will act one fine day!

How can Apex Court also refuse to take suo motu cognizance of it which directly pertains to judiciary itself? How long will Supreme Court keep playing second fiddle in front of Centre and keep giving unfettered licence to it to most horrendously and most mercilessly discriminate and perpetrate most atrocious discrimination perpetrated in distribution of high court and high court benches and high court circuit benches in different states and different regions? What I am underlining is that Centre’s approach is not just flawed but also completely biased and still has been given long rope by Apex Court even though this key issue directly pertains to judiciary just like lack of basic amenities like toilets in district courts due to lack of funds and worst sufferers are woman lawyers and woman litigants!

There is not even an iota of doubt that our highest court has mostly always stood up for its citizens and upheld the Constitution. One fondly hopes that Apex Court will at least now on this key issue also boldly take suo motu cognizance of it at the earliest as it is a blatant egregious violation of Article 14 of Constitution which envisages right to equality as a fundamental right yet most unfortunately on this count lies in tatters! The upshot of the above discussion is that Apex Court must now immediately without wasting any more time take Centre to task on this as no justification can ever justify the denial of a high court bench to West UP which owes for majority of the pending cases of Allahabad High Court and yet has not even a Circuit Bench!

If one look at the whole picture, we see that it reflects a far deeper malaise which now no more can be hidden from public gaze any longer. How long will Centre keep downplaying and stonewalling the most legitimate and compelling demand for a High Court Bench in West UP and so also in Orissa and Bihar and some other States? This is clearly a stark reminder of how much Centre discriminates most ruthlessly yet is never held accountable even by top court! Why Apex Court never takes Centre to task for it?

How long will Supreme Court abjectly keep playing second fiddle in front of Centre and keep giving unfettered licence to most horrendously and most mercilessly discriminate and perpetrate most atrocious discrimination perpetrated in distribution of High Courts and High Court Benches and High Court Circuit Benches in different States and different regions? Not a single High Court Judge of Allahabad High Court or Patna High Court or Jodhpur High Court or Cuttack High Court or Ahmedabad High Court among others nor even any Judge of Supreme Court has ever dared to take suo motu cognizance of this most merciless butchering of equality as enshrined in Article 14 of Constitution! Biggest insane person on earth in his/her right senses will definitely never endorse what Congress and BJP have done who have ruled in Centre that just one High Court Bench for most populated State of India with maximum number of pending cases and that too so close to Allahabad High Court at Lucknow way back in July 1948 and deprived West UP from having not even a single High Court Bench not even a single High Court Circuit Bench which owes for majority of pending cases of Allahabad High Court which is all on record and has more than 10 crore people and 30 districts and so also attached litigants of 30 districts of West UP and hilly areas of undivided UP with not even Lucknow but right uptill Allahabad which culminated in partition of Uttar Pradesh 26 years ago in which so many people sacrificed their lives and yet Supreme Court never dared to take suo motu cognizance of non-implementation of Justice Jaswant Singh Commission recommendations headed by former Supreme Court Judge appointed by Centre itself which recommended maximum 3 High Court Benches for undivided UP – two High Court Circuit Benches in Dehradun and Nainital and a permanent seat of High Court Bench in West UP yet not even one created anywhere which is a national disgrace and Maharashtra which already had multiple High Court Benches at Nagpur and Panaji one more created at Aurangabad as recommended within a very short span of time in mid 1980s itself for just 7 districts then and now one more fifth High Court Bench approved for just 6 districts at Kolhapur which started functioning from August 18, 2025 without any recommendations from any Commission but in UP not a single Bench created in last 78 years and so also lawless Bihar has none and Rajasthan only one and Orissa and Gujarat none and Centre has equipped only five elite States – Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Assam and Madhya Pradesh with multiple High Court Benches most astoundingly leaving prominent big States like UP, Rajasthan, lawless Bihar out from the elite club!

It must be definitely asked upfront: Why no Judge of Supreme Court ever dares to openly speak out on it? Most bone chillingly, even the Supreme Court in last 80 years of independence has never dared to take suo motu cognizance of it and even the press which is considered the fourth pillar of Indian democracy including newspapers and news channels also maintains a conspicuous inexplicable deafening silence on it and hardly ever accords any prime coverage to it! The most troubling question that crops up here is: Why is Centre just not willing and ready to address it? Centre must stop dishing lame excuses and address it like it did last year in Kolhapur in Western Maharashtra for just 6 districts and now in Ladakh for just 7 districts! No denying or disputing it!

At the crux of the problem is most stubborn approach of Centre and State Government in refusing to relent and acknowledge the clear writing on the wall! Why Centre has no empathy with humongous problems faced by litigants of West UP due to no Bench here? One cannot conjecture correct cause that why Centre crops up flimsy and fake excuses to deny West UP even a single Bench?

It merits absolutely just no reiteration that speedy and affordable justice at doorsteps is the cornerstone of democratic system which definitely cannot be allowed to be strangulated by depriving litigants of West UP from having even a single Bench! It is time for Apex Court to take note of the big picture and act decisively to ensure that a High Court Bench is created in West UP at the earliest and the huge sufferings – physical, mental and financial faced by the litigants of West UP is not prolonged any longer now! No doubt, the earlier this is done, the better it shall be!

It is high time that the 230th Report of Law Commission of India prepared under Chairmanship of former Supreme Court Judge – Late Dr AR Lakshmanan and eminent legal luminaries is implemented at the earliest at least in big States like UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and Orissa even though it was meant for all States but Centre is just not ready to move even an inch forward in this direction which brings tears not only in my eyes but in eyes of every lawyer and every litigant and every common person who understands how crucial the creation of a High Court Bench in West UP is and for how long it has been needlessly dragged while equipping simultaneously Lucknow so close to Allahabad High Court with permanent seat of High Court Bench from July 1948 less than a year after independence even though West UP owes for majority of pending cases of Allahabad High Court which definitely makes for most depressing reading!

To sum it up, Centre has to deliver now! Two facts stare us in the face. One, how can Centre abdicate its constitutional duty to ensure that the worst discrimination that has been perpetrated in distribution of High Court Benches in different States and different regions is brought to an end altogether? Two, how can State of UP pass the buck to Supreme Court as we saw recently when top court had in 2018 made it abundantly clear that it was for Centre to decide?

Let’s face it: Centre and State actions in this regard just does not inspire any confidence at all! On discrimination of distribution of High Court Benches in different States and different regions, the less said the better because Centre has been completely shameless in this context to resort to open partiality as we can see for ourselves and States like lawless Bihar has not even a single High Court Bench not even a Circuit Bench just like Orissa and West UP among others without any valid reason! The topmost question that stares us in our face is: What’s going on in this country? It is utterly disgusting indeed to watch all this without facing any intervention from Allahabad High Court or even Supreme Court!

It must be asked: How long will the clouds of uncertainty keep looming on the creation of a High Court Bench in West UP? 80 years of independence have already lapsed! For God sake, Centre must right now put a complete full stop on most merciless denial and most atrociously depriving West UP from having even a single Bench not even a Circuit Bench even though own MP of Centre have demanded two Benches in West UP at Meerut and Agra from time to time! How long will Centre keep stonewalling the most legitimate demand for the creation of a High Court Bench in West UP on most flimsy excuses?

To top it all, what cannot go unnoticed is that how can even Apex Court also just plainly refuse to take suo motu cognizance of it which directly pertains to judiciary itself and leave decision making on Centre as we saw in 2018 and even after nearly 10 years we see no action visible on ground as centre is sitting pretty relaxed with folded hands? There is no doubt that our highest court has mostly always stood up for its citizens and upheld the Constitution. Quite clearly, all the cogs that are coming in the way for creation of a High Court Bench in West UP definitely needs to be weeded out at the earliest!

On a concluding note, one fondly and fervently hopes that Apex Court will at least now boldly take suo motu cognizance of it at the earliest as it is a blatant egregious violation of Article 14 of Constitution which envisages right to equality as a fundamental right yet most unfortunately on this count lies in tatters! One thing stands clear: If Supreme Court takes suo motu cognizance this will only serve in providing timely relief which the litigants of West UP have been waiting since ages but still the end of the tunnel till date is nowhere in sight which can become possible only by timely intervention of the Apex Court! Let us fervently hope so!