Delegates of the Undivided Koraput District Advocates’ Central Action Committee (CAC) appeared before the Justice CR Pal Commission on Friday and placed their demand for establishment of a permanent Bench of the Odisha High Court at any suitable place in their region.
They submitted a memorandum along with all supporting documents toe the commission. The Koraput region has 90 per cent ST and SC population and out of that 92 per cent are below the poverty line. The region is 700 km away from the seat of the High Court in Cuttack. The interior villages of the region are not well-communicated because of dense forests and hills.
The Hirakhand Express, the only train to Bhubaneswar, takes 16 hours from Jeypore to its destination. Hence, establishment of a HC Bench in the region is quite justified, said leading advocate Ramesh Chandra Panigrahi. The Pal Commission recorded the statement of CAC convenor Trinath Singhlal. The delegation also met HC Acting Chief Justice Pradeep K Mohanty and apprised him about the demand on Saturday.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has also agreed to hold talks with the delegates, informed advocate Dasarathi Patnaik. The delegation also included advocate Prasant Tripathy, P Ramesh Patra of the District Bar Association, Jeypore, and advocates N Ahhmed, Haribandhu Choudhury and Rama Patra of Nabarangpur.