Bhubaneswar: Lawyers of the Orissa High Court, who are boycotting work against the state's move to establish permanent Benches of the court in other parts of the state, today asked the government not to make any recommendation regarding this.
“There is no legal standing behind making recommendation for creation of Benches of the Orissa High Court,” said Shyamnanda Mohapatra, an advocate, after a delegation of lawyers met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to apprise him about its views.
“The Chief Minister has assured us that the state government will take steps as per the law,” Mohapatra said. “We will take a call on this at the next meeting of the Bar Association,” Mohapatra said. Patnaik, meanwhile, urged the Bar Association to call off its strike and allow the high court to function normally.
The lawyers of high court have boycotted courts since Thursday to protest the state government's move to establish permanent Benches in other parts of the state.
Finance minister Prasanna Acharya had recently announced that the state government would recommend establishment of a permanent Bench in the western region of the state.
Acharya had made the statement in view of the year-long agitation by lawyers of nine western districts.
After a recent general body meeting of the members, a unanimous resolution was passed by the Bar Association, asking government functionaries to desist from making divisive and confusing statements.
On the Bar Association's demand for increasing the existing strength of the high court judges, Patnaik agreed to increase their number from 22 to 27 and assured the agitating lawyers that immediate steps would be taken to help faster delivery of justice to the common people.
