Members belonging to both Opposition and ruling parties on Monday demanded in the State Assembly that the State Government take a decision soon regarding establishment of permanent Benches of the Orissa High Court so that courts, which have remained closed for lawyers’ strike, would resume functioning and people would get judicial services soon.
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Congress Legislature Party Leader Narasingha Mishra said the justice delivery system in Balangir and in other districts in western, southern and northern regions of the State has been paralysed for months due to strikes being resorted to by lawyers for establishment of permanent High Court Benches in their respective region. As a result, people have been facing a lot of trouble in getting judicial service.
He said the Government should adhere to guidelines of the Supreme Court and suggest name of place to the Union Government for establishment of the HC Bench. “A constitutional crisis has emerged in the State now. The Government is accountable for people not getting judicial services. The Chair should direct the Government to resolve the issue at the earliest,” said Mishra. He too expressed apprehension that people might take law into their hands if judicial system is not normalised at the earliest.
Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati too raised the issue and informed the house about lawyers’ strike and closure of various courts in Koraput district. He demanded that the Chief Minister present a statement in this regard.
BJD MLA Amar Prasad Satpathy sought Government intervention to resolve the crisis. He too brought to the notice of the House regarding High Court Bar Association members’ boycotting of the courts of the Chief Justice and two other Justices to press for their demand of appointment of judges out of HC lawyers. Another BJD MLA Soumya Ranjan Patnaik also demanded that HC lawyers appointed as judges.
BJD MLA Anant Das too sought that a permanent Bench be established at Baleswar.