Nainital advocates, politicians oppose decision to shift high court to Haldwani

The Uttarakhand Cabinet's in-principle nod to a proposal to shift the high court from the city has not gone down well with a large section of lawyers and politicians, including BJP MLA Sarita Arya.

The state cabinet on Wednesday gave its in-principle nod to a proposal to shift the High Court of Uttarakhand from Nainital to Haldwani at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Calling the move ''impractical'', Arya said the decision was taken without taking the opinion of advocates and businessmen in the city. The Nainital MLA added that the high court provided employment to local residents and shifting it out of the city would be an attack on their livelihood. ''I will oppose the decision at every level,'' she said. Former MLA and lawyer Mahendra Pal said the move would trigger migration from the hills, while advocate RS Sambal said the decision did not solve any problem.

Shailendra Naudiyal, another advocate, said, ''We will strongly oppose the decision and turn it into a 'jan andolan' (people's movement).'' Advocate Bhuvnesh Joshi said, ''The government is showing it is working against the interests of the people of the hills. While the chief minister pretends to be a son of the hills, this decision reveals his anti-hill mentality,'' Joshi said. Joshi said the move would only lead to increased migration from the hills.

Calling the decision ''a useless waste of funds'', advocate Niranjan Bhatt said the money could have been used for poverty alleviation and development. ''The 'pahad virodhi' (anti-hill) government has made a mountain out of a molehill. The funds used for a new high court will be recovered from public money in another blow to the common man,'' Bhatt said.

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