Demand for Gujarat HC Bench in Rajkot Intensifies; Saurashtra-Kutch Lawyers Observe One-Day Strike

Rajkot: The long-pending demand for a Gujarat High Court bench in Rajkot gained fresh momentum on Tuesday as lawyers across the Saurashtra-Kutch region abstained from judicial work, except in urgent matters. The legal fraternity also submitted a memorandum to the Rajkot District Collector, requesting that their demand for a High Court bench be forwarded to the state government.

The legal fraternity argues that Saurashtra and Kutch, comprising 11 districts, over 5,000 villages, and 80 talukas, account for nearly 40% of the cases before the Gujarat High Court. They said a Rajkot bench would reduce the burden on the Ahmedabad-based High Court while making justice faster, more affordable, and easily accessible for people in the region.

Former Gujarat Bar Association Chairman and Bar Council of India member Dilip Patel said the demand has existed for years and has gathered renewed support over the past year. He said all 12 Bar Associations in the region stayed away from court proceedings and jointly appealed to the government. Patel added that representations have already been submitted to the Gujarat Law Minister, while MPs and MLAs from Saurashtra-Kutch have also been approached to support the demand.

Rajkot Bar Association President Sumit Vora said nearly 40% of pending cases in the Gujarat High Court originate from Saurashtra and Kutch. He said setting up a bench in Rajkot would help reduce pendency and improve access to justice for the region’s population of more than 2 crore.

Government advocate Samir Khira also backed the proposal, describing Rajkot as the judicial and administrative hub of Saurashtra. He pointed out that several states, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Karnataka, have multiple High Court benches despite having populations comparable to Gujarat.

The renewed campaign began about a year ago after the approval of a High Court bench in Kolhapur, Maharashtra. Since then, the Rajkot Bar Association has formed a committee to pursue the demand through constitutional and legal channels. DeshGujarat