Several advocates in Lucknow staged a sit-in on a street on Sunday to protest the demolition of more than 200 lawyers' chambers by the city's Municipal Corporation following a High Court order, news agency IANS reported. Police and administration officials arrived at the site earlier on Sunday to conduct the demolition, drawing strong objections from the lawyers, who began the sit-in and demanded an alternative arrangement to continue their legal practice.
Source: IANS via hi INDiA
Advocate Balram Jakhar told IANS the lawyers wanted an alternative first. 'First, provide us with an alternative arrangement, and then demolish the chambers. At least 2,000 advocates are suffering,' he said, alleging the administration was acting arbitrarily and was only focused on demolishing the chambers without making efforts to provide an alternative. Those claims are the protesting lawyers' allegations. Jakhar said the lawyers would strongly oppose the demolition and would not allow it to go ahead, and alleged that officials and police were trying to remove the protesting lawyers from the site.
Source: IANS via hi INDiA
Nation Press also reported the Sunday protest as Lucknow's top city story, reporting that more than 200 chambers faced demolition on High Court orders with no alternative offered to the advocates, a figure consistent with IANS reporting and with local video reporting that put the number of chambers at 211.
Source: Nation Press, Lucknow city page
The demolition drive stems from Allahabad High Court proceedings over illegal encroachments near the Lucknow District Court complex. Live Law reported that the Municipal Corporation had earlier told the court that more than 100 illegally constructed chambers had already been demolished under earlier directions, and that the court later recorded 57 more encroachments removed and directed the authorities to complete compliance with its order, with the case listed again on October 26, 2026.
Source: Live Law
The protesting advocates said they respect the court orders but argued there should have been a way out, IANS reported. Jakhar said that if the chambers are demolished, the lawyers will have to practise on the roads. There was no immediate word in the reports on whether Sunday's demolition was carried out or deferred, and further details were awaited.