Bhubaneswar: Opposition Congress members Tuesday created a ruckus in Odisha Assembly over the demand for a permanent High Court bench in western Odisha forcing Speaker Surjya Narayan Patro to adjourn the House thrice.
The speaker was forced to adjourn the house first for five minutes at 12:06pm and subsequently three times (12:11pm to 12:31pm, 12:31 to 12:41pm and finally from 12:41pm till 3:00pm for the lunch) after the Congress members trooped into the well, shouted slogan and disrupted the proceedings over setting up of a permanent bench of the Odisha High Court in western Odisha.
Raising the issue during zero hour Congress Legislature Party Leader Narasingha Mishra said people are denied of getting justice as the lawyers in Western Odisha and in other parts of the state are on strike demanding setting up of permanent bench of the Odisha High Court in their respective areas and courts are not functioning in the area since long.
The government, he said, instead of taking steps how the courts would function, is sleeping over the issue.
Mishra said the government had set up the Pal Commission to recommend the places where the permanent bench of the High Court should be set up. Even though the Commission has submitted its report to the government six years back , the government has not yet tabled the report in the House. He wanted to know why the report has not yet been tabled in the House.
He demanded the government to take a decision on the venue of the permanent bench of the Odisha High Court on the basis of the Jaswant Singh Committee report.
Mishra further added that today hundreds of lawyers from Western Odisha held a demonstration in Bhubaneswar and also met the Governor over the issue.
The Congress members urged the Speaker to give a ruling directing either the Chief Minister or the law minister to discuss the issue with the agitating lawyers and find a solution.
Tara Prasad Bahinipati of Congress said the courts in Koraput are closed for the last eight months and Tahasil office, banks and treasury were closed for the last one week in Koraput demanding setting up of permanent bench of the High Court in Jeypore.
He also urged the Speaker to direct the Chief Minister and the law minister to intervene into the matter and find a solution.
His party colleague Santosh Singh Saluja said eight High Courts in the country have branches. Even some High Courts have three branches. So far 11 branches of the high courts have been set up.
As the Speaker did not give any ruling, the agitated Congress Members led by Tara Prasad Bahinipati rushed to the well and disrupted the proceedings demanding a ruling.
At this point, Bishnu Sethi (BJP) wanted to raise the issue of farmers but nothing was audible. The BJP members then created a furore in the house for not being allowed to raise their points.
The house, however, returned to normalcy when it met at 1500 hours after the adjournment and discussed the scheduled business.
(UNI)