Sambalpur: Even as the stir for the high court bench in western Odisha is still going on, the lawyers’ body Friday hardened its stand to intensify its agitation in coming days. For the last four months, all government offices and institutions in Sambalpur have remained closed over the issue, a report said.
Lawyers held their general council body meeting and decided that the agitation will continue till the government concedes to their demands.
They have decided to paralyse the treasury office and financial transactions of the state government in the region and snap water supply to all companies in the district.
Presiding over the meeting, president of the bar association Bijitendriya Pradhan said the decisions taken earlier on the HC bench issue will be discussed in the next meeting January 18.
Lawyers condemned the missive sent by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to the Centre over the HC bench issue.
Pradhan said,” The Chief Minister had added fuel to the fire by sending a letter to the Centre. Lawyers have been opposing the letter-giving exercise. His legal advisor has been fooling the people of Western Odisha. This Letter politics should end. ”
He also added that the Chief Minister has not yet responded to the letter given by Union minister Ravishankar Prasad.
“The Chief Minister has not cleared which district will have HC bench, which districts have necessary infrastructure and prospects for infrastructure development and how many members will have in the HC bench,” he added.
The Chief Minister sent a letter (15/2019-05/CM) to Union law minister Ravishankar Prasad for HC benches in western and southern Odisha.
In the letter, it was stated that the state government was well aware of the Jashobant Singh report. If the Central government agrees to an HC bench, the state government will have to provide all necessary infrastructure and resources, Pradhan added.
The Chief Minister had sent letters to the Centre several times on the issue September 28, 2013, February 13, 2014 and September 5, 2018, but to no avail.
PNN
