Sambalpur: Demanding a permanent High Court bench here, the Sambalpur District Bar Association launched a black flag protest during finance minister Sashi Bhushan Behera’s visit to the city Saturday.
Behera was scheduled to attend a programme at Gangadhar Meher University. A large number of lawyers reportedly scuffled with the police during their rally near Church Chowk. Many of them have been detained.
Earlier, the District Bar Association had taken a decision to stage black-flag demonstrations during the visit of any Union or State minister to the district. They alleged that both the Union and state governments are neglecting the demand for the establishment of a permanent bench of Orissa High Court in western Odisha.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written two letters to the Union government for the establishment of a high court bench. The CM had written the first letter to the central government on the issue September 28, 2013. The then UPA government had sought some clarifications on this account from the state government. Patnaik had then replied to the Centre’s queries. But, the proposal had not been taken forward, the agitating lawyers claimed.
The lawyers of western Odisha have been demanding the establishment of a permanent bench of the high court for several decades now. They had also staged a demonstration in front of Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in November 2016 and near the Orissa High Court in Cuttack to draw the attention of the Union government and the Orissa High Court.
PNN
