Ghaziabad, Sep 15 - Work in all courts in 16 districts of western Uttar Pradesh was paralyzed as a three-day strike called by lawyers to demand a high court bench in the region began Tuesday.

'All bar associations falling in the 16 districts of western Uttar Pradesh are participating in the strike call,' said Gajendra Singh Dhama, the convener and president of Meerut Bar Association.

On Sep 17, the third day of the strike, the lawyers plan to expand the strike to include all commercial and industrial establishments in the 16 districts.

The districts affected by the strike include Ghaziabad, Meerut, Saharanpur, Moradabad and Aligarh.