A delegation of the Balangir Bar Association accompanied by State Assembly leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra on Monday met Odisha High Court Chief Justice Amitava Roy here and urged him to consider the western Odisha town of Balangir as a suitable place to establish a permanent High Court Bench.
Speaking to reporters, Mishra said the Chief Justice has assured the delegation that he would take a decision in this context keeping the interest of the State and its people in view.
Mishra said the meeting with the Chief Justice was held in a cordial atmosphere. The Balangir Bar Association’s president, general secretary and four other executives comprised the delegation.
Mishra pointed out that since the State and Central Governments have in principle decided to set up a permanent High Court Bench in western Odisha, all efforts now should be made to set it up at Balangir. He said Balangir and Baripada have earlier served as Circuit Benches of the Patna High Court before the Odisha High Court was set up in Cuttack in 1948.
Mishra said, “Till date, the Balangir District Judge acts as the ex-officio Registrar of the Odisha High Court and anyone wishing to file a case in the High Court could do so by simply filing it before the Balangir District Judge.”
It may be mentioned that after demands pouring in from all regions of the State to have High Court Benches, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik last year had written to the Union law Minister to set up HC Benches in western and southern Odisha.
The then Union law Minister Kapil Sibal, however, had a lukewarm response, stating that the move was “incomplete” since it had not been endorsed by the State Chief Justice.