After long silence and believing in the assurances from the State Government for establishment of a High Court Bench in Sambalpur, local lawyers had postponed their agitation for the last few years.
However, getting harassed, they again resorted to the warpath on Wednesday. “This agitation, like before, will continue every Wednesday till the goal is achieved,” said Sambalpur District Bar Association (SDBA) secretary Saroj Sahu.
“While the Central Government has asked for a comprehensive report for HC Bench establishment in Sambalpur or elsewhere in western Odisha, the State Government is keeping mum. This shows that the State Government has no interest in it,” alleged SDBA president Sureswar Mishra.
If the State Government wants to keep the State united and save it from division, it should immediately submit a full-fledged proposal to the Centre. The demand for a HC Bench is 50 years old, Mishra pointed out.
“On September 28, we went to Bhubaneswar to meet the CM on the issue. But very cleverly, the CM fixed a programme at Bangalore and we met his representatives in his absence who assured us of taking the needful action within a month. But more than a month has passed since then. It is clear that the State Government has deceived the people of the entire western Odisha and Sambalpur in particular,” Mishra said.
Due to the agitation on Wednesday, the judicial magistrates couldn’t enter court premises. All State Government offices remained closed due to picketing by the agitators.