Members of the Ganjam Bar Association have unanimously decided to intensify their agitation once again in support of their demand for setting up of a permanent Bench of the Odisha High Court in Brahmapur.
At an emergency meeting of the executive council of the Association held here on Thursday, the council led by Bar President Basanta Kumar Panda discussed in detail about strategies to be adopted to achieve the goal. Council members said they would intensify agitations during last four days of every month.
According to reports, all the members of the Bar including vice president Siba Prasad Mishra, secretary Rama Prasad Panda and joint secretary Karunakara Panigrahi would remain present at the Bar on September 27 (first day of the last four days of the current month) and thereafter would proceed to Aska Road to join road blockade in front of the office of the labour Court. After the token blockade of road, the lawyers would come in a procession back to the Court premises and would sensitise the public about the justification for establishment of a permanent bench of the High Court in Brahmapur.
Notably, members of the Bar had taken out a bike rally to intensify their continuing stir for the longstanding demand on August 29 last year.
Bar members claimed that Brahmapur is the most suitable place for setting up of the High Court bench as per the norms put forward by the Jaswant Singh Commission Report regarding establishment of High Court benches. As the city has all infrastructural facilities for proper functioning of the bench, the Government should consider their demands, they said.
The Bar president Panda said the demand for establishment of a High Court bench in the city was started in 1985 which is much older than other parts of the State. Even the Bar members had boycotted Court for around six months from December 12, 2007 to May 22, 2008 for this demand only. Since then they have been boycotting the court on the last four days of every month, he added.
Meanwhile, former Deputy Speaker of the Odisha legislative Assembly and senior BJP leader Rama Chandra Panda urged the Chief Minister to pass a resolution in the Assembly recommending the setting up of a High Court bench in Brahmapur to provide justice to the people of south Odisha.Earlier, the Bar had expressed its dissatisfaction over the Justice CR Pal Commission report regarding demands for permanent benches of the High Court from different parts of the State though the details of the report are yet to be made public.
“We denounce this report as we feel it has not directly recommended establishment of High Court bench in Brahmapur,” said Bar president Panda, adding, “We will continue our peaceful agitation till our demands are fulfilled.”