Lawyers of the Advocates Association Bengaluru requested Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Prasanna B Varale to ensure that Tuesday’s listed cases are not “damaged” due to the absence of lawyers. The request came in furtherance to the association’s letter on Monday which said the work may be affected due to the bandh called in Bengaluru over the Cauvery water sharing issue. The association had cited that several lawyers come from the rural districts. President of the association Vivek Subba Reddy said, "‘Damage’ refers to instances where cases are dismissed if a lawyer is absent.” He added, “The judiciary has agreed to the request.” The association also carried out a protest of its own supporting Karnataka's position in the Cauvery dispute on the staircase of the Civil Courts behind Cauvery Bhavan. The association in a statement said, "The Cauvery issue has caused a lot of difficulty for Bengaluru and other Cauvery basin districts. In this regard, the TN (Tamil Nadu) stand is unfortunate and amounts to forceful pressure.in the coming months there would be severe shortage of water in Bengaluru and surrounding districts." The statement concluded with support for the Tuesday bandh. The lawyers' protest, which took place at 11.30 am, saw advocates assembled with placards bearing slogans in Kannada stating "Cauvery water is the property of Karnataka" and "Save Cauvery, save farmers”.
