Kolhapur: Lawyers across the district torched a copy of the proposed Advocates' Amendment Bill 2017, as a part of their protest against the bill in the court premises on Friday.President of Kolhapur District Bar Association (KDBA), Prakash More said, "The protest was a part of nationwide campaign against the proposed bill and all the lawyers from Kolhapur district participated in the protest."Proposed bill deter lawyers from going on a strike and allow an entry of foreign law firms. This has drawn a strong protest from some sections of the legal fraternity that has created a nationwide stir against the drafted recommendations. The amendment has a provision for punitive action against lawyers for going on a strike, causing inconvenience to the litigants and the justice delivery system. The proposal also includes removal of a lawyer's name from the rolls if he or she abstains from the court work. They will also be liable to pay compensation to the litigants if they abstain from work even the client has not paid them.As the part of their protest, The lawyers abstained from work after Friday afternoon."We have been demanding a separate circuit bench in Kolhapur for the past 35 years. It is not only the lawyers who are demanding a separate bench but the people across five districts in southern part of the state. We have the right to fight for the right cause and the proposed amendment does not allow us to do so," said More."We have conveyed our message to the district collector and we expect that the appropriate changes will be made in the amendment without targeting the lawyers," he added.

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