Dozens of lawyers from Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Sargodha and other divisions held a protest first outside the courtroom of the Lahore High Court chief justice and later outside the Punjab Assembly to press the demand for establishing new benches of the high court in their divisions. Most of the lawyers holding placards and banners in their hands marched towards the courtroom of the chief justice despite that fact their way was checked by the police personnel. They raised slogans in favour of their demand and also announced to hold lockdown of the district courts in their respective divisions on November 14 if the demand was not fulfilled. The lawyers claimed that the creation of new benches was their fundamental right and they should not be deprived of this right. The lawyers vowed to remain unyielding in their stance on the issue. Later, the lawyers marched down the Mall Road and gathered outside the Punjab Assembly to register their protest. They also torched tyres and kept the road blocked almost for an hour. Some of the lawyers marched little ahead and also protested outside the Punjab Governor House. It is to mention that, a full court comprising all the judges of the LHC had in 2016 resolved that there was no need to create more permanent regional benches of the court. Lahore High Court Bar Association has welcomed and owned the decision. The bar had said that all professional lawyers of the province owned the full court’s decision.–Staff Reporter