Ghaziabad, Dec 14 (IANS): Traffic was jammed on the busy National Highway 24 to the national capital as lawyers from 22 districts demonstrated to press their demand for a high court bench in western Uttar Pradesh.

The lawyers staged a sit-in at Hindon bridge in this town, stalling traffic on the arterial highway that connects New Delhi to western Uttar Pradesh.

The demand for a high court bench in the region is 40 years old, said Ashok Sharma, president of the Meerut bar association.

"The Allahabad High Court is 750 km from Ghaziabad, Meerut and Saharanpur while the high court of Lahore in Pakistan is less than 500 km," he said, stressing that their demand was genuine.

The lawyers have announced a protest outside parliament on Dec 19.

"No government has taken the issue seriously," Sharma said, adding that assurances had been given by state and union governments.

"The poor residents of western Uttar Pradesh are deprived of justice even after 65 years of democracy," he said.