In a significant move, the Orissa High Court Bar Association on Friday expelled three Senior Advocates from the association and issued show-cause notice to Senior Sdvocate and Bar Council of Odisha (BCO) chairman Dr Tahali Charan Mohanty for their alleged attempt to “weaken” the ongoing Statewide lawyers’ agitation being spearheaded by the association for over two months now.

“The general body of the association resolved to suspend the membership of Senior Advocate Asim Amitav Dash, Milan Kanungo and Banshidhar Satapathy. Since Dr Mohanty has already tendered an apology, he has been issued a notice to show cause as to why his membership of the association shall not be suspended,” said association secretary Satyabrata Mohanty.

Mohanty further informed that the general body also resolved to continue the lawyers’ agitation till November 9, the date fixed by the High Court to hear all the three writ petitions pertaining to the lawyer-police strife arising out of the August 28 police assault on a Cuttack advocate. On that date, Crime Branch IGP Arun Bothra has also been asked to submit final reports on the relevant criminal cases.

Demanding arrest of four policemen, who had assaulted advocate Devi Prasanna Patnaik, the lawyers across the State are on strike since August 29. In the meantime, advocate Patnaik, who had also been booked in three cases, has approached the High Court for quashing of the FIRs against him and has also sought interim protection. All his petitions are scheduled to be taken up on November 12.

In another related development, secretary of Cuttack Criminal Court Bar Association Pradeep Kumar Parida through his advocate Prashant Kumar Nayak on Friday issued a legal notice to Cuttack city DCP Akhileswar Singh. Parida alleged that Singh had tried to defame him in public eyes by taking his name among those advocates who had apparently negotiated with the police to call off the lawyers’ strike.

Singh had earlier this week alleged that office-bearers of the bar association and some other advocates, including Parida, had reached an agreement with the police at the Naraj IB on September 25 to call off the strike if at least two policemen are arrested. “Although the arrests were made, the lawyers did not keep their words and the strike continued,” the DCP had said.

Taking umbrage to the DCP’s allegation, Parida claims that he was not present at the Naraj IB when the so-called agreement was reached. “The utterances of the DCP were intended to defame my client; and if the DCP does not apologise for giving false statements in media, my client will take legal action in appropriate court,” said Parida’s counsel Nayak.