law Minister Maheswar Mohanty on Sunday appealed to a delegation of the Central Action Committee (CAC) of the All Western Odisha Bar Association (AWOBA), which met him here, to call off the ongoing strike and wait till the return of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik from Delhi for a final decision on the demand of establishment of a High Court Bench in the region.
However, the CAC rejected the Minister’s plea and decided to go on a relay hunger strike instead of the present fast-unto- death, sources said.
Five CAC core committee members led by its convenor Ashok Dash are on an indefinite hunger strike in front of the office of the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (North) at Sambalpur here since February 5 to build up pressure on the Government.
The lawyers in Sambalpur continued their agitation on Sunday to press their demand for a comprehensive and detailed proposal of the State Government to the Centre on setting up a High Court Bench in western Odisha.
Housing and Urban Development Minister Debi Prasad Mishra and many Government officials were present at the meeting in Bhubaneswar.