Taking a very serious view of escalating tensions around the Kaisarbagh civil court complex, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Monday issued a stern warning of criminal contempt after viral videos emerged showing sticks being distributed among lawyers.
The division bench, comprising Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Justice Rajeev Bharti, made the observations during a hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed under the title Anuradha Singh and Others. The petition addresses the ongoing dispute regarding the removal of encroachments surrounding the civil court complex.
An angered bench did not mince words during the proceedings, directly questioning the actions captured in the viral footage.
“Do you think that by distributing sticks you will stop the administration from carrying out its lawful duties?” the court remarked, warning that it would not hesitate to initiate criminal contempt proceedings.
The court also expressed deep concern over the total disruption of the local judicial system, noting that judicial work in the district court had been suspended for the entirety of the past week—a situation it officially termed “serious.”
The Core Dispute: Encroachment vs. Access
The ongoing anti-encroachment drive in Kaisarbagh has sparked severe friction between local authorities and members of the legal community.
While lawyers have strongly opposed the demolition drive, the High Court emphasized the critical public safety hazard posed by the blockades. The bench asserted that illegal encroachments in the area routinely cause ambulances to get trapped in gridlock, highlighting one tragic incident where a patient died because an emergency vehicle could not pass through.
Opposing the demolition, lawyers argued that the municipal corporation had proceeded with the drive without proper identification. They specifically pointed to the demolition of a local photocopy shop, which paid its rent directly to the district court, as proof of administrative overreach.
Court Promises Resolution and Compensation
Addressing the lawyers’ grievances, the High Court clarified that it was already aware of the situation regarding the photocopy shop.
The bench explained that the structure had been damaged accidentally during the drive. To rectify the error, the affected shopkeeper has already been allotted another shop at the same location, and active efforts are underway to compensate them for their financial losses.
In an effort to provide a long-term solution to the lawyers’ spacing issues, the bench also noted that the administrative formalities for the allotment of lawyers’ chambers in Kaisarbagh are nearly complete. The court confirmed that local bar associations have already been officially informed of these developments.
