The demand for a Karnataka High Court bench in Mangaluru is being expanded from a lawyers’ campaign into a broader public mobilisation, with elected representatives, civic organisations, industry bodies and citizens expected to participate in consultations ahead of a possible judicial committee visit to coastal Karnataka.
Speaking at a consultation meeting in Mangaluru on Saturday, Member of Parliament Captain Brijesh Chೌಟ said a High Court bench in the city was necessary and that the demand could be advanced only through a united effort by representatives from the coastal region, lawyers and citizens. He said meetings would be held at taluk level under the leadership of legislators to gather public views on the need for the bench.
A bench in Mangaluru would increase the city’s institutional importance and support the development of Dakshina Kannada, Chೌಟ said. The demand is also being presented as a measure that could benefit ordinary litigants, rather than remaining limited to the legal profession.
Mangaluru Bar Association president Jagadish Shenava said the establishment of a High Court bench would benefit the public. He described the shift of the campaign from a lawyers’ demand to a public issue as a positive development. MLA Vedavyasa Kamath said the need for a bench should be explained to the government with supporting records and evidence.
The next major consultation has been scheduled for October 12 at 11.30am under the leadership of Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister U.T. Khader. Legislators, Members of Parliament, representatives of organisations and institutions have been invited to the meeting, according to Legislative Council member Ivan D’Souza, who is the convener of the campaign committee.
D’Souza said a three-judge committee constituted by the Karnataka High Court to examine the possibility of establishing a circuit or permanent bench in eight districts may visit the district after October 18. The committee is expected to collect views from lawyers, members of the public and other stakeholders, although the report said the visit was a possibility rather than a confirmed schedule.
The October 12 meeting will include representatives from the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Indian Medical Association, the New Mangalore Port Authority, the law students’ association and labour organisations including INTUC and BMS. Other institutions have also been invited. D’Souza said the campaign committee planned to submit a non-partisan representation based on public opinion.
The proposed bench would address a longstanding question of access to higher judicial institutions for residents of the coastal region. The consultation process will determine how the demand is documented and presented to the government and the High Court committee. The immediate next steps are the October 12 stakeholder meeting and the proposed post-October 18 visit to gather views from the district.