Sambalpur: The district court remained shut Tuesday as the agitating Citizen Forum prevented judicial officials from entering court premises.
Vigilance Judge Gopal Behera leading the judicial official team Tuesday pleaded with the agitating members to let them perform their duties, but it went in vain.
All the courts in the campus of Sambalpur district judge will remain closed Wednesday and Thursday due to this agitation. Citizen Forum staged a ‘dharna’ at Kachery Chowk Tuesday to prevent court officials from entering office.
It is to be continued for another two days, chairman of Citizen Forum Bhagwat Prasad Nanda said. The Citizen Forum has been demanding setting up of a High Court bench in Sambalpur.
He added that the demand is 30 years old and lawyers of western Orissa rallied around this cause united under the banner of Central Action Committee. Later, it was taken over by the Citizens Forum. As the state government does not take the lawyers’ agitation seriously, the forum has been sitting on a ‘dharna’ on last three days of each month as a routine.
Prof Shankar Prasad Pati, president of Orissa Sanskrutik Samaj, said the dharna in favour of High Court bench in western Orissa has become a routine affair but is having no impact on the authorities. The only way to get it enacted is for the state assembly to recommend this to Parliament. When both the state assembly and Parliament agree, it will be done.
Speaking to Orissa Post on the issue, former Member of Parliament Bhawani Shankar Hota said the demand for a High Court bench is yet to be fulfilled in spite of support from people. Lack of political will of the state and central governments and unwillingness of the Orissa High Court due to pressure from High Court Bar Association are the major impediments to the setting up of the bench. The people of whole of western Orissa demand immediate settlement of the issue without any further delay. The Centre should come forward in this regard, he added.
Rohit Pujary, MLA- Redhakhol, said the state government has already given its consent in this matter by issuing a letter to the Centre. So the onus is on the Centre to take up the issue, he added.
Sureswar Mishra, a senior advocate, said the state government letter must be accompanied by a consent letter from the Orissa High Court.
Atanu Ghosh, president of Sambalpur district bar, said, “There was a six-km-long bike rally by about 200 people from Remed Chowk to spread awareness among people and inform the government about our demand.”
“We are contemplating to take this agitation to Orissa High Court in the next phase. It would be decided after a discussion on the issue at our Central Action Committee comprising members from all district bars in western Orissa,” Ghosh added. PNN