t cannot be now ever erased from history that Mr Parvez Alam has on February 26, 2026 taken oath as the new General Secretary of Meerut Bar Association and oath was administered by the Chief Guest and District Judge Hon’ble Mr Anupam Kumar thereby becoming the first Muslim ever in the history of Meerut Bar Association from 1883 till 2026 breaking all the huge barriers that he encountered by relentlessly trying hard not for his own benefit but for the welfare and advancement of the advocates fraternity as a whole to hold the post of General Secretary and I am most proud that I could witness this most historic solemn occasion but it is also an unpalatable truth that this should not have been the case that it took 143 long years for a Muslim to rise to occupy this prestigious post.

But it is definitely better to be late than never for which I really from the bottom of my heart thank all the advocates of Meerut Bar Association who voted for him in large numbers irrespective of religion, caste, creed or sex and ensured that he comfortably romp home victorious which he so richly deserved also as his track record is impeccable always which definitely even his worst critics candidly acknowledge!

Delegation Of Lawyers Meets CJI Surya Kant

It was also most heartening to note that on February 24, 2026, a delegation of senior and eminent lawyers of West UP comprising of Mr Jitendra Mohan Sharma who is former General Secretary of Meerut Bar Association and also a senior lawyer of Supreme Court, Mr Parvez Alam who is the newly elected General Secretary of the Meerut Bar Association and first Muslim in the history of Meerut Bar Association from 1883 till 2026 to hold the post of General Secretary and I am most proud that I could witness this, Mr Anuj Sharma who is the newly elected President of Meerut Bar Association, Mr Sanjay Sharma who is the incumbent President of Meerut Bar Association and Mr Rajender Singh Rana who is incumbent General Secretary of Meerut Bar Association and Mr Akshat Sharma met the CJI Hon’ble Mr Justice Surya Kant and apprised him of the long lingering most legitimate and compelling demand for a High Court Bench in West UP!

The discussion was positive and in most amiable atmosphere! The lawyers are most optimistic that this will definitely pave the way for the establishment of a High Court Bench in West UP.

The lawyers holding high offices in Meerut Bar Association including Mr Parvez Alam point out that this will definitely be a significant step and a huge stride towards ensuring access to justice for the people of West UP.

Hope From CJI Surya Kant For West UP High Court Bench

One fervently hopes that the incumbent CJI Mr Surya Kant will take the much requisite initiative in this regard as lawyers of West UP have met and apprised him of the dire need for the same. He has always stood up for truth, justice and equality as enshrined in Article 14 of the Constitution!

Of course, it is the bounden duty of Supreme Court to interfere and stop this most despicable, dastardly, dangerous and deplorable discrimination perpetrated in distribution of High Court and High Court Benches in different States and different regions which needs to be set right most promptly by setting up of a High Court Bench in West UP which owes for majority of pending cases of Allahabad High Court and still has not even a Circuit Bench most disgracefully!

Key Priorities Of The Newly Elected Meerut Bar Leadership

Mr Parvez Alam has listed the setting up of a High Court Bench in West UP among his key issues in priority list just like Mr Anuj Sharma who has been elected as the new President of Meerut Bar Association and from same panel of Mr Parvez Alam who too has always been most vocal in this regard of placing the creation of a High Court Bench in West UP in the highest priority list of issues to be solved along with other very elementary yet critical issues directly affecting the advocates.

Major Issues Raised By The Bar Leadership

• Implementation of the Advocate Protection Act.
• Allotment of chambers to lawyers who do not have chambers.
• Providing e-library facility for advocates.
• Providing SCC Online Journal Subscription of judgments of Supreme Courts and High Courts free to young lawyers.
• Improving parking facilities in court premises.
• Ensuring that lawyers are not arrested arbitrarily.
• Mandatory requirement for police to inform the Bar before arresting any advocate.
• Better toilet facilities especially for women lawyers.
• Improved drinking water facilities within court premises.

Both being elected from the same panel will ensure better coordination and most effective output in the direction of achieving the goals set up by them for the betterment of lawyers fraternity.

Additional Reforms Proposed

• Efforts to ensure that toll tax is not imposed on lawyers.
• Strengthening coordination between Bar leadership.
• Addressing long-standing professional issues of advocates.

I am most happy to see that before Mr Parvez Alam has even assumed the high office of General Secretary, he has started working most steadfastly and relentlessly in this direction just like President of Meerut Bar Association – Mr Anuj Sharma who too has accorded creation of High Court Bench in West UP as his top priority and even met CJI Hon’ble Mr Justice Surya Kant along with a delegation of senior lawyers as mentioned hereinabove to convince him of the dire need for a High Court Bench in West UP.

Political Support For High Court Bench In West UP

Just recently Dr Laxmi Kant Vajpayee who is Rajya Sabha MP in Parliament from Meerut pitched strongly for setting up of two High Court Benches in West UP at Meerut and Agra apart from Gorakhpur and Varanasi but even after nearly 80 years of independence, UP has not witnessed setting up of even a second High Court Bench anywhere other than in Lucknow so close to Allahabad High Court for just 8 districts then where it was set up in July 1948 and nowhere else as 2048 is fast approaching.

Legal Advocacy And Writings Of Parvez Alam

I have read many of enlightening legal articles by Mr Parvez Alam on the setting up of High Court Bench in West UP in The Daily Guardian Newspaper, The Daily Punjab Times E-Newspaper among others and so also prestigious websites like Law Insider in which he has underscored how imperative it is to set up a High Court Bench in West UP and I am hundred percent sure that he will definitely pursue this long lingering issue to its logical conclusion.

Even the newly elected President of Meerut Bar Association – Mr Anuj Sharma has been a member of the High Court Bench Mission that was set up by eminent and senior lawyer Mr Narendra Sharma many years ago which he has been pursuing relentlessly this most key issue and it definitely now deserves to be settled once and for all for which lawyers of West UP have been working hard relentlessly since last so many decades when I aged 50 years was not even born.

Questions On Distribution Of High Court Benches In India

One fervently hopes that Hon’ble Mr Justice JB Pardiwala who is touted by some as the “most fearless judge” of Apex Court till date since independence speak out fearlessly as to why Uttar Pradesh which has maximum pending cases and maximum population has only one High Court Bench created 78 years ago at Lucknow so close to Allahabad and nowhere else even though Justice Jaswant Singh Commission headed by former Supreme Court Judge appointed by Centre itself recommended permanent seat of High Court Bench in West UP at Agra about 50 years ago yet not even a Circuit Bench created till date.

Maharashtra which already had multiple High Court Benches at Bombay, Nagpur and Panaji was given one more at Aurangabad in 1980s as recommended by Justice Jaswant Singh Commission and now one more fifth High Court Bench created in Kolhapur for just 6 districts with 1.64 lakh people which started functioning from August 18, 2025 but for West UP with 30 districts and more than 10 crore people not even a single High Court Circuit Bench created till date.

Comparative Distance To High Courts

From Saharanpur to Allahabad is more than 750 km which means whole night and a day by train wasted on just travelling alone.

Disparity In High Court Benches Across States

It is absolutely most baffling rather gut wrenching to say more appropriately that both Supreme Court and Centre in last about 80 years of independence most inexplicably feel that Allahabad High Court which is biggest High Court in not only just India, in not only just Asia but also in whole world should have only one High Court bench so close to Allahabad at Lucknow and nowhere else even though it is West UP which owes for majority of pending cases of Allahabad High Court which is the biggest national disgrace.

Lawless Bihar has not even a single High Court Bench nor Circuit Bench just like Orissa due to which poorest litigants suffer the most who have to travel whole night and nearly a day to attend at every hearing in High Court as West UP has not even a single High Court Bench not even a Circuit Bench to say the very least.

States With Multiple High Court Benches

• Madhya Pradesh
• Karnataka
• Maharashtra
• West Bengal
• Assam

Why big States like UP, Rajasthan, Bihar and Orissa have been left to suffer most mysteriously in the cold with first two States having just one Bench and last two States not having even a single Bench just like majority of the States which is definitely a national disgrace that cannot be brushed beneath the carpet for a very long time?

Why West UP which ideally should have separate High Court and separate Statehood due to its huge population of more than 10 crores which is more than majority of the States in India and pending cases owing for majority of pending cases of UP which is highest for any region in India has not even a High Court Bench nor even a Circuit Bench to say the very least for so long? Why is Supreme Court not taking suo motu cognizance of it?

Law Commission Recommendation On High Court Benches

Of course, this key long simmering issue affects billions of litigants across so many States and regions which alone explains why 230th Report of Law Commission of India recommended creation of High Court Benches in different States yet after nearly 17 years gathering only dust.

Conclusion

I sincerely wish Mr Parvez Alam who is the newly elected General Secretary of Meerut Bar Association and Mr Anuj Sharma who is the newly elected President of the Meerut Bar Association and other office bearers always the very best and I am fully sure that apart from addressing many serious grievances of lawyers faced by them as mentioned hereinabove, the most sacred agitation for a High Court Bench in West UP will definitely also be carried forward to its logical conclusion before they demit office in 2027.

Sanjeev Sirohi, Advocate,
s/o Col (Retd) BPS Sirohi, A 82, Defence Enclave,
Sardhana Road, Kankerkhera, Meerut – 250001, Uttar Pradesh.