All Manipur Bar Association (AMBA) Thursday demanded the upgradation and expansion of subordinate judiciary in Manipur before the establishment of separate High Court for Manipur is materialized.

In a memorandum addressed to Union Law Minister, Chief Justice of Supreme Court, Governor and Chief Minister of Manipur, Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court and state law minister and state law secretary, AMBA said that unless the subordinate judiciary is strengthened there will have no improvement despite the establishment of separate high court.

The association pointed out that at present there are 32 posts in different sub-ordinate courts in Manipur out of which three posts are under administrative and the remaining courts functioning in the state. However, these courts are functioning with lack of subordinate courts for the last 30 years.

Asserting that the state has nine revenue districts divided into only two session divisions, Manipur East and Manipur West, the AMBA demanded establishment of district and sessions court in each district without any delay and also filling up of vacancies in all the courts.

Further AMBA demanded implementation Supreme Court’s order passed on April 19, 2012 and converts the existing two Fast Track Courts, Manipur East and Manipur West, without any delay.

While asserting that the new high court of the state be provided a minimum of five judges, AMBA demanded quotas of the Bar and Bench of the of Manipur state for the judgeship of the new and separate high court from the eligible candidates be preserved, protected and implemented.

AMBA has also appealed to the Union Law Minister, Judges of Supreme Court of India, Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court and Law Minister of Manipur to send a special team to inspect all the nine districts of Manipur enabling to chalk out the feasible areas of expansion of Subordinate Courts in consultation with the government of Manipur.

At present the Gauhati High Court has benches in Tripura, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim has a separate high court.