Satpal Maharaj’s shift HC remark gets support in Haridwar

Tourism minister Satpal Maharaj’s remark that the high court should be shifted from Nainital as the hill town cannot handle rush of people was welcomed by residents of Haridwar district.

District bar association, political parties and the saint community have expressed their support to Maharaj, saying maximum legal cases in the high court are from Haridwar, so the district was best suited to house the court. A proposal to this effect was passed by the district bar association unanimously.

Since formation of Uttarakhand, lawyers and local public had been demanding a high court bench in Haridwar to cater to large number of litigants from Garhwal division, of which Haridwar district is a part.

District bar association president Sudhir Tyagi said shifting of the high court from Nainital to a plain segment was in interest of common people as Nainital being a hilly town can’t provide full infrastructural facilities.

Citing cheap and mass availability of lodging facility in dharamshalas, ashrams, muths, lodges, rest houses and hotels in Haridwar, Tyagi said in comparison, Nainital has majorly only hotels that were quite costly.

“Haridwar is approachable from all six other districts of Garhwal division as well as from Kumaon. Air connectivity, rail connectivity and multiple bus transport services along with private taxi network is easily available in Haridwar,” said Arvind Shrivastava, secretary of the bar association.

“Even cabinet minister Mahraj has pointed that majority of cases in the high court are of petitioners hailing from either Haridwar or Uddham Singh Nagar. So, it will immensely benefit the people of these two districts as Uddham Singh Nagar is also just 6-7 hours distance from Haridwar,” said Shrivastava.

Dharamshala Samiti president Vikas Tiwari welcomed the minister’s proposal, saying dharamashalas will cater to poor litigants as they are in large number in Haridwar.

“Litigants from the lower strata of society face problems in reaching and pursuing their cases in Nainital but that will be solved majorly by having the court in Haridwar,” said Dr Sunil Kumar Batra, president of Citizen Forum of Haridwar.