The agitation against the delay in bifurcation of the Hyderabad High Court and provisional allocation of lower court judges of Andhra origin to Telangana intensified further, with the judicial officers and the advocates taking to the streets against the suspension of 11 of their colleagues by the High Court.

The functioning of the lower courts across Telangana has come to a grinding halt with more than 200 judges and judicial officers going on mass leave, protesting against the suspension of their 11 colleagues by the Hyderabad High Court. They have decided to remain on leave for 15 days. The agitating lawyers have also put locks on the courts and were staging sit-in protests outside the court buildings.

On the call of the Federation of all the Bar Associations, advocates on Wednesday staged a protest march to the High Court building in Madina area and demanded immediate recall of the Acting Chief Justice Dilip Bhosle.

Hyderabad Police took scores of advocates into custody, when they tried to force their way into the premises to protest against the provisional allocation of Andhra-origin judges to Telangana.

The police stopped the slogan-shouting advocates at the main entrance of the court and shifted them to different police stations.

In the backdrop of simmering discontent in the legal community of the State, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao met Governor ESl Narasimhan to discuss the situation. Sources said that the Chief Minister made a representation to the Governor on the urgent need of taking measures to bifurcate the High Court between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He also drew Governor's attention to the anger among the judicial officers and advocates over the suspension of protesting judges by the High Court.

The Chief Minister has already raised the issue with the Center and also wrote a letter to the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, demanding expediting the process of bifurcation of the High Court. He also demanded that a proper notification be issued so that that the process of dividing and allocating the judicial officers and the staff is taken up only after the separate High Courts of the two States start functioning.

The Chief Minister drew his attention to the fact that 143 judicial officers of Andhra Pradesh across all cadres were allotted to Telangana. If this allocation was made final, it would seriously affect the future prospects of Telangana judicial officers, the Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile the opposition parties have also come forward in support of the demand for the bifurcation of the High Court. Congress leader in legislative Council Mohamed Ali Shabbir said that if the TRS MPs raise the issue in the Parliament, his party will support them.

Telangana Telugu Desam working president A Revanth Reddy said that his party will fully support the protest by the judicial officers and the advocates. He rejected the stand of the Union law Minister Sadananda Gowda that the Centre had no role in bifurcation and the issue was between Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and the Chief Justice.

He said that bifurcation of the High Court was the responsibility of the Centre.