North Odisha lawyers call for bandh on Monday to press for HC bench demand

By Sibdas Kundu

Balasore, Oct. 6: After Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik recommended the Centre last month for setting up two permanent benches of the high court in western and southern parts of the state, lawyers from the North Odisha region who have been making the similar demand, on Sunday decided to intensify their agitation.

The lawyers have given dawn-to-dusk Mayurbhanj bandh call on Monday.

Mayaurbhanj happens to be major district the South Odisha, bordering West Bengal in the north and Jharkhand in the west.

Stating that the recommendation was politically motivated, the lawyers said the chief minister’s proposal to the Union government before the submission of the Pal Commission report “unethical and unjust.”

Balasore Bar Association, political parties like the Congress, BJP, JMM and Bhanj Sena, members of All India Medical Association’s district unit, District Athletic Association and District Commercial units and other organisations have also supported the bandh call.

At a high level meeting, it was unanimously decided to intensify the agitation against indifferent attitude of the state government.

An action committee has been formed with the presidents, secretaries of bar associations, members of political outfits and local volunteering organisations of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar, Bhadrak and Balasore as members.

They will decide the future course of action after the Monday bandh.

Meanwhile, Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Susila Tiria demanded a circuit bench of HC at Baripada. She said Congress party will support the lawyers of North Odisha in this regard.

Source: www.indusvalleytimes.com