New Delhi: The Central Action Committee of Western Odisha Lawyers, informed Monday the Supreme Court that advocates in all the districts of Western Odisha have withdrawn the strike and resumed court work.
A two-judge bench of the apex court comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and KM Joseph directed the district judges in the state to submit a report to the Orissa High Court counsel Sibashankar Mishra mentioning the status of court work under their judgeships and posted the matter for hearing March 21.
“The counsel appearing for Central Action Committee in western Odisha assured this court that all the bars resumed the work today (Monday). Let access to justice be available. The district judges of different districts in the state will submit the report to High Court apprising that the work has been resumed,” the bench said.
The court also observed that the demand of High Court bench in Western Odisha will be taken up after the resumption of work by the lawyers. “The larger issue (High Court bench in Western Odisha) will be considered after the resumption of work,” the apex court said.
Taking note of huge vacancies in the High Courts, the apex court also said in oral observation that the acting Chief Justices of High Courts can recommend names of candidates to the Supreme Court Collegium for their appointment as judges in High Courts.
Earlier, the counsel for Orissa High Court, Sibashankar Mishra had submitted in an affidavit that the lawyers at Barpali in Bargarh district, Bolangir HQ, Boudh HQ, Sonepur HQ, Birmaharajpur, Rampur, Binika, Tarava, Dunguripali in Sonepur district and at Sundargarh headquarters, Rajgangpur, Bonai in Sundargarh district resumed the court work as of February 12.
While the lawyers have continued cease work at Padampur, Sohela and Attabira in Bargarh district, Loisingha in Bolangir district, Deogarh and Reamal in Deogarh district, Jharsuguda and Lakhanpur in Jharsuguda district, Sambalpur, Kuchinda and Rairakhol in Sambalpur district.
It is to be mentioned here that the Supreme Court had December 6 last year expressed displeasure over the continuous strike of lawyers’ in some districts and had directed the High Court to create concurrent jurisdiction to transfer the cases to the adjacent districts.
PNN