On the occasion of the 78th year of establishment of the Patna High Court, a High Court Jyoti Jatra was carried out by the Citizen Committee, Balangir here on Thursday.
The Jyoti Jatra led by advocate Bhavani Satpathy and Lalit Nayak, started from the Patneshwari Temple to the Samleshwari Temple through the town.
The Patna High Court was established on September 6, 1940 at Balangir, said advocate Bhavani Satpathy. After functioning for five years, a common High Court was set up here in 1945 whose jurisdiction extended over Odisha and several districts of Chhattisgarh. Many princely states in Odisha also supported it. After functioning for three years when the princely Patna state merged with State of Odisha ,the Orissa High Court came into existence in 1948 whose jurisdiction extends throughout Odisha, said Satpathy.
Given this historical background, people of Balangir have demanding setting up of a permanent Bench of the Orissa High Court at Balangir, said Satpathy further.