Dehra Dun, Sept 3 (UNI) The Uttarakhand Bar Council today demanded the filling of vacant posts of High Court Judges in the state.

Council Vice-chairman M M Lamba said there was a provision of 15 judges in the state High Court but at present only nine were available.

''We demand that the vacancy be filled by the appointment of senior lawyers practising in district courts who are of Uttarakhand origin,'' he told reporters here.

Mr Lamba also advocated that a High Court Circuit Bench each in Dehra Dun and Hardwar be established for the convenience of advocates and their clients.

He said transition cost to the High Court was too high and infrastructure was not good.

The Vice-Chairman, expressing his dissatisfaction over the distribution of property to Bar Councils of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand after formation of the hill state, said the former had done injustice with the latter by transferring only 4,316 lawyers to Uttarakhand.

''There were 16,000 lawyers practising in the Uttarakhand circle.

We now want all the lawyers in our council,'' he added.

He said the Council would, in accordance to the suggestion of the Bar Council of India (BCI), would appeal in the High Court, requesting it to issue circular to the UP Bar Council and ask the BCI to play as parental body in solving the matter.

Mr Lamba said the council would also pursue issues related to insurance scheme for lawyers, provision of Welfare Fund in the state budget, among others.

UNI