Sambalpur: Even as the demand for a permanent bench of the Orissa High Court has taken the region by storm, it was started over 60 years back by several local outfits, a report said.
According to sources, the mass movement was started by members of the Sambalpur Gana Samukhya, senior citizens of the district and local lawyers. Odisha had then only 13 districts and undivided Sambalpur district included Bargarh, Deogarh and Jharsuguda districts. As people in the region faced difficulties to attend hearings at High Court in Cuttack, this gave rise to the local demand for a bench.
Managing cases in Cuttack was a herculean task and very expensive for common people in western Odisha. Initially, the movement started demanding a circuit bench of the High Court which subsequently changed to a permanent bench since early 80s.
As the demand for a High Court bench gradually loomed large, then Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy had supported the cause and included the issue in her party’s election manifesto in 1974.
The mass movement continued even after creation of several new districts and reorganisation of old ones. At this juncture, a few other states in the country started demanding benches.
The central government constituted Dr Yashwant Singh Commission in 1982 to devise ways and means for establishing a permanent High Court bench. However, for the first time in 2006, an emergency sitting of 37 Bar Councils and ten districts of western Odisha was called in Bargarh district to carry on the movement.
Subsequently, Paschim Odisha Kendriya Kriyanusthan Committee was formed and all member districts continued to protest in their own areas. However, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written a letter to central government in 2007 for establishing permanent benches at Sambalpur and Berhampur districts which was opposed vehemently.
Local lawyers of Sambalpur district staged agitations in front of Revenue Divisional Commissioner’s office in 2013 giving slogans, ‘no court, no vote’. The protests continued for 42 days.
Later, the demand was neglected by the state government. As both central and state governments indulge in politics, several lawyers’ associations have been agitating since 2017 till date, demanding a permanent bench.
Alleging apathy by both the state government and the Centre taking up the issue of a permanent High Court bench in Sambalpur district, local lawyers have warned to keep all government and private offices in the region closed on last three days of a month till their demands are met.